Anna and the King
by syaoran no hime
Summary: Anna x Yoh semiAU. Anna becomes a student of Kino, and the latter entrusts to her the reluctant future Shaman King, Asakura Yoh. How long can Anna resist the laidback and lazy but cute and goodnatured Yoh?
1. Default Chapter

_This is my first try on Anna x Yoh, and I hope that you enjoy my maiden presentation. I have seen only the first few episodes, so some characters may not be accurate. Please forgive that._

_May I also stress that this is an AU, and that this may turn out to be mushy and fluffy. Don't go flaming me coz I warned you! *grin* _

Anna and the King 

Kyouyama Anna used her right hand to shield her eyes from the sun. This particular afternoon was scorching, and if not for her scarlet bandanna, she could have fainted already. She still had some more kilometers to go before she could reach the Asakura Gates, the place where her new master in becoming an _itako_ resides in. 

As she trudged on the sandy path and endured the merciless heat of the sun, she reflected on why she was so intent on becoming an _itako_ when everyone fears such figure, and ostracizes him from the rest of them.

She clenched her fists. But so what? She had nowhere else to go. She didn't fear anymore to be isolated. She was used to living alone anyway.

She tied her bandanna on her head again, securing it firmly. She then continued to pound on  the ground, each step taking her nearer to the only place she could think of that would accept her.

After quite awhile, she found the most unbelievable sight in the world : a gurgling crystal clear brook surrounded by large ferns and bushes!

She found herself smiling for the first time since she had started her journey. Who knew that in that cruel and hostile desert lays such hidden beauty of Nature?

She immediately took her bandanna off, and stepped out of her clothes. She walked towards the water; touched the cool waters with her toe, and smiled in delight. She then came down to it and submerged herself in its heavenly coldness, kissing the sun's marks of cruelty in her skin away.

 "Would you still like us to accompany you, Master?" asked the blue-haired servant to the laidback-looking boy who jumped down from his horse with ease.

He grinned. "No, I can go there alone. You can wait for me here." He stretched lazily. "Ah! I finally escaped from my family! And it's about time! All they ever make me do is train and practice and duel, then train again. Don't they know that I also need rest?"

"Your training is important because you will continue the lineage of the great Shaman Kings in your clan, Master," replied the servant politely.

He laughed. "But I don't want to be one! All I want to do is to watch the days pass by while lying down comfortably."

"Great life," said the servant, then grinned. "You know you can't defy the laws of the clan."

"Ironic," he remarked. "The kingdom's most powerful authority is powerless to defy laws made by the commoners."

"That's life."

He nodded, and sighed. "Ah, I better take a bath already." He sauntered into his private lagoon as his servant watched, smiling.

Anna didn't know how long was she in the brook already, because once or twice, she had nearly dozed off, due to extreme fatigue. But now, her eyes were getting too heavy…she had to sleep, whether she liked it or not.

She yawned and laid her head on the smooth surface of a nearby boulder. 

Only to wake up panickedly a few minutes later when she felt something touch her back. She opened her eyes and found a boy that looked as old as her staring at her. Her eyes widened, and her body automatically reacted.

A loud slap landed on the stranger's cheek.

"Pervert!" she hissed, submerging her body into the water in a desperate attempt to cover her nakedness, but to her dismay, the water was crystal clear.

She then noticed a shirt floating beside her on the water.

The boy, who had recovered from her slap, smiled. "I was placing it on your back so you won't get sunburned while you sleep."

"Why should I believe you?" she asked coolly. "I don't even know you."

"You don't?" He looked really astounded. "So you are new in this place?"

"I do not talk with strangers," she snapped. She wanted to walk out on him, but her clothes were by the feet of the boy.

He noticed them too. He picked them up and placed them near the water. "Here. You better go change."

"With you in the vicinity?" she asked sarcastically.

"I'll turn my back then," he said. "I don't want to leave you. Someone else might walk in here, and he may not be a good person."

"I can't dress up with someone around here!" she protested.

"Just pretend that you're alone," he suggested.

She knew that she couldn't, but she was starting to get chilled. She had no choice but to trust the boy. Cautiously, she got up from the water. She anticipated him to turn around, but he didn't. He was just standing there, his back facing her, as he whistled nonchalantly. As quickly as she could, she slipped back into her outfit then looked at the boy. He still wasn't looking. She seized the chances to disappear from the place through the bushes. She didn't want to thank him even though she was slightly impressed by his gentlemanly ways.

The last thing she wanted to have in the world is debt of gratitude.

Finally, Anna reaches the Asakura Gates, and she didn't have a hard time locating it. Aside from the fact that it was the grandest house in the kingdom, people seem to know the Asakura_s_ very much.

She went towards the guard. "Is Asakura Kino-sensei here?" she asked coolly.

"Huh?" The guard looked surprised. Girls the age of the young king flock to see him, not the Asakura matriarch. The girl must have other plans.

"Yes. What do you want from the Madam?" he asked.

"Tell him that an _itako_ from Kanagawa wishes to have tea with her," she said.

Something about the girl was different.  She sounded so sure and confident of herself. He decided to immediately contact Kino-sama.

"Thank you for granting my request," said Anna, bowing down politely. 

"You are welcome, child. What is it that you want to say, that you have to travel many kilometers just to see me?" asked Kino.

"I need your help. I want to become an _itako_," she explained. "My former teacher died recently, but she had told me that in case that happens, I can go see Asakura Kino."

The woman remembered an old friend she had who trained with her in becoming an _itako _some years ago.. That must be her. "You know that being one means letting go of your relations to the outside world – the people who only believe what their eyes can see."

"I have realized that already when I had started training under my sensei."

"Very well." Kino eyed the girl who looked impossibly poker-faced. She was a perfect _itako_, an emotionless medium who was strong enough to stand the taunting of evil spirits. She liked her already. "You may start tomorrow."

"Thank you," said Anna, bowing again.

How I wish my grandson can be as serious as you are in his training."

"Grandson?" echoed the girl.

"You haven't taken your bath yet, Master?" asked Horo Horo, puzzled when he saw Asakura Yoh kneeling by the brook, deep in thought. He then saw the red piece of cloth that he was holding.

"Someone's been here before us," said Yoh, pocketing the bandanna.

"Really? This place is pretty hidden, and our people are forbidden to cross this territory of the Asakura_s_," said the servant, who was also Yoh's sparring partner. "Must be from the other kingdoms."

"The least she could have done before she disappeared is to say her name," he said softly.

"It doesn't matter, Master Yoh. You'll never see her again, the way she disappeared just like that. She must be a lost traveler or something." The blue-haired boy looked at the sun that was starting to hide behind the afternoon clouds. "You should bathe already, Master. Your grandfather would not like you to be late for your training."

"You're right," agreed Yoh, grinning.

Anna was walking in the front yard, eyes taking in the beauty of the Asakura compound. They seem to be very close to Nature, because their place was like an extension of the vast forest behind their territory.

Her attention was then caught by the arrival of carriages in the nearby gravel road heading for the main door of the house. Curious, she looked at the carriages.

From the royal stagecoach came out two elderly couples, dressed regally in ceremonial robes.

Her eyes widened. She knew those robes- they are the clothes that shamans wear during sacred rituals!

"Hey, I didn't know we'll meet up here," said a familiar voice. She turned around and saw the boy she saw by the brooks, looking down at her from his horse. He grinned at her and jumped down.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He cringed when he felt the burning coldness of her eyes piercing every little muscle of his body. "W-Well, I should be the one asking that. Oh heck…" He reached for his pocket. "At least I can return this to you."

She looked at the red bandanna on his hand. She snatched it back. "Give me that, you thief!"

His eyes widened. "A-Ah…" He wanted to protest, but when he saw her glare at him, all he could do was to scratch his head. "It's not what you think," he said meekly.

"First, you peeped on me. Now you steal my bandanna," she said, voice carefully even, but still furious. "What would you do next?"

He was starting to look uncertain. "Ummm…"

She then noticed a spirit lurking beside him. It caught her attention for a while, because the spirit felt abnormally stronger compared to the previous spirits she had encountered.

He noticed her pause, and followed her gaze. "You can see Amidamaru?"

"What?" she asked.

"Amidamaru, my main spirit," he said casually.

She was shocked. "Y-Your main spirit?" _That can only mean that he's a…_

"Master Yoh!" called a blue-haired boy. "Your grandfather says it's already time for your training."

"Right!" He turned to her, grinning. "What's your name?"

"Kyouyama. Kyouyama Anna," she said absent-mindedly.

His grin widened. "Nice to meet you, Kyouyama-san. I hope we'll see each other again." He waved at her before running into the house.

"Who is he?" she found herself asking the blue-haired servant.

"He's the child of the Shamans, Asakura Yoh."

She suddenly remembered that her new sensei mentioned that she had a grandson, but she could never have imagined that it would be the same person she met in the brook!

"And I'm Horo Horo," continued the boy, holding his hand out to her. "It's a pleasure to meet such a cute girl as you!"

"Cute?" With that, a slap landed on Horo Horo's face before she retreated away.

"That hurts!" whined the boy. "What kind of girl is she? I just praised her and she slapped me?" He groaned. "Women. You criticize them, they slap you. You compliment them, they still slap you. Where else should clueless guys like me step in?"

Anna was walking back into her room when she met Kino in the hallway. The woman was looking at her, somewhat amused. "I heard from the guards that you just met my grandson."

She looked down. "I'm sorry. I didn't know he was your grandson. I apologize." She bowed.

"Don't," said the woman. "He deserves it anyway. He just met his match, and I'm glad it's you."

"Huh?" She was baffled, but the woman was through conversing with her. Kino continued to walk away, an idea forming in her still sharp as ever mind.

**tsuzuku**


	2. 2

_Me.hate.keyboard._

The next morning, the whole clan of Asakura was eating breakfast together when Kino announced something that shocked everyone.

"Yoh, you will be turning fourteen next month, won't you?" Without giving the boy as chance to reply, she continued to break the news. "I have decided that you must be choosing your shaman bride now."

He blinked, and laughed. "You're kidding. I'm barely out of my puberty stage!"

"I've never been more serious." His grandmother narrowed her eyes at him. "If you don't get as girl to nag at you, you will never become worthy enough to be the shaman king."  

Yoh groaned. "Just be patient, Grandmother. I can become the Shaman King you had been dreaming of since the time that you still had not even given birth to Father."

"Your grandfather says that you're not taking the training seriously. You always trick him!" said the old woman, frowning. "Even Horo Horo is a worthless and irresponsible guardian!"

To this, the boy servant swallowed slowly. Horo Horo on the other hand, looked down on the floor, not commenting.

"If I didn't marry your grandfather, he wouldn't be a decent shaman himself!" continued the old woman angrily. To this, the old man inched subtly away from his wife.

"Therefore, I have decided that I would be the one to choose your wife for you." Kino nodded at everyone. "That's right. I already found the girl for my grandson." 

Anna was sitting by the pool of water when Yoh approached her. "K-Kyouyama-san?"

She looked sat him blankly. "What do you want, Asakura-san?" she asked.

He rubbed the back of his head, not knowing how to start what he was about to say. "Um…I'm going to marry you, if that would be alright with you?"

"What?!!" she gasped. "Do you know what you're saying, Asakura-san?"

He sighed. "Um, actually, this was decided by my grandmother…" He began to narrate to her what happened in the breakfast table awhile ago. 

_Kino turned to Anna who was outside the house, meditating.             _

_Horo Horo and Yoh nearly spitted out the food that they were eating.     _

_"Her?" said the blue-haired boy, then turned to Yoh, who looked like he was going to faint right on the spot. "But you have just met her yesterday, Madam!"_

_"I know," said the old woman simply. "I like the way she hides her feelings."_

_"That's because she doesn't have any," muttered the Ainu boy._

_Yoh looked sat his father for help, but he didn't look interested in involving himself in these matters._

_"It's final," said the old woman. "My student will become your fiancée starting today. She will also handle your training from now on. Whatever training she thinks is best for my grandson, I will not interfere with."_

Yoh sighed helplessly. "So you see, Kyouyama-san, I didn't have a choice."

"That must mean I don't have one too," she said. Her eyes looked sat him testily. "I wasn't intending to marry, especially someone like you. But you will be as Shaman king in the future, so I guess it won't turn out to be so bad after all." She stood up. "Did the sensei also say that I would handle your training from now on?"

He nodded meekly.

"Then get ready," she said, smirking. "This will be bloodiest training you'll ever have."

He gulped. He had this feeling that she meant it _literally_.

She turned to the spirit cowering behind Yoh. "And you, spirit!"

Amidamaru suddenly appeared, looking as frightened as his master. "Yes, Ma'm Anna?"

Without another word, she threw her prayer beads around him and dragged him away from Yoh.

"H-Hey, where are you taking Amidamaru?" yelled Yoh.

"Both of you will undergo separate training," she said, smirking. She was going to make him pay dearly for what he did to her in the brook. No one had ever seen her naked yet. 

"Eighty one…down. Eighty two…down," counted Anna as Yoh did his push-ups under the scorching heat of the sun. "Eighty three…down."

Yoh looked up at her beggingly. "Can we take as break already, Anna?"

She narrowed her eyes sat him. "I said, don't call me by my first name!" She continued to count. "Fifty…down. Fifty one…down…"

"We're already in eighty three!" he complained.

"You pissed me off. Now pay the price," said Anna. "Hurry up before I decide to count back from one! You still have ninety nine more push-ups to go."

"Master Yoh, I brought you some refreshments!" announced Horo Horo as his little sister, Pirika, followed, bringing a tray of drinks.

Yoh was about to stand up when he saw the eyes of Anna following him. He managed to mumble a thank you before continuing on his exercises.

Anna turned to Horo Horo and took the drink meant for Yoh. She sipped it delicately then frowned. "Too much sugar. Throw it away."

"But that is how Master Yoh likes it!" protested the boy.

"Would you like your Master Yoh to get diabetes?" she shot back. 

Pirika looked at Anna and her brother back sand forth. She still didn't know who Anna was.

He clenched his fists, then marched back into the house grumpily, followed by Pirika.    

She sat back into the bench under the shade of a tree and looked at Amidamaru who was chained to the trunk of the tree.  "You should be thankful that you're having it easy in here." She turned to Yoh, who was on his sixtieth push-up.        

"T-The beads," he sputtered. "They're too tight!"

She raised a brow. "Oh, is it?" With that, she pulled the other end of the beads more. He yelled in pain.

"Get used to that," she told him. "You'll be in tighter situations than this when you become his main spirit once he becomes the Shaman king."  She looked at Yoh. "You must be able to protect him at all cost."  

He paused, pondering on her words.

Anna stood up. "Don't stop!" she snapped when Yoh's body fell on the ground with a thump.  

"Ouch!!!!" yelled Yoh as his maid, Tamao, massaged his aching muscles that night.

"Oh, Master Yoh! Why are you letting that girl do this to you?" wailed the maid. Her hands rubbed his muscles carefully.

 "Simply because he's my fiancé." Anna entered Yoh's room, looking not so pleased to catch him with as girl, looking oh-so-cozy. "Get out," she told Tamao matter-of-factly.

The girl's eyes widened in shock.

Yoh frowned. "Anna, I don't think that is the right way to tell her that-"

He became the target of her blazing eyes. "Are you going to object?"

He sweatdropped. "Um. You better get going, Tamao."

The girl grumpily left the room, but not without leaving Anna a glare. The _itako_ merely shrugged.

She turned to him. "Your training schedule."

A piece of paper flew on the bed beside him. He grabbed it and read the contents. "Wait a minute…this is household chores!"  

She nodded. "I already asked the permission of sensei if I can tell the maids to go on day-off every Tuesday so you can take over the household chores."

"B-But…" He read the piece of paper again. "Since when had doing the laundry and ironing become part of the training of a shaman?"      

"Since I said so," she said coolly.

He sighed. "It says here too that in the afternoon, I have a regular 50 kilometer run while carrying weights around my body. Before the sun sets, I must give you one hundred fifty push-ups. At night, I will be the one to make dinner and will also wash the plates!" He looked at her in disbelief. "Do you want to kill me?"

"Obey first before you ask," she said, turning her back on him. "Goodnight. We will start tomorrow." She left the room.

Yoh sighed. "She's a sadist."

Amidamaru appeared. "No kidding." He peeked at his master's training schedule. "Why don't you just run away?"

The boy grinned. "Because I'm too lazy to even pack my things." He looked out at the window. "Besides, I want to befriend her."

"People like her do not have friends, Master Yoh," interrupted Horo Horo, coming into Yoh's room. He was the only one privileged to enter the room without permission from the elders. Aside from Anna, of course. "She eats friends for lunch." He patted the shoulder of his friend. "I feel your pain, friend. If there's only something I can do to share the pain you're bearing right now." He then collapsed into a merciless fit of laughter. 

Amidamaru sighed. "It seems like you're teasing Master Yoh more than comforting him."

"That's exactly what I'm doing!" With that, he doubled over on the floor, laughing his heart out. 

"Oh, she can't be that bad," said Yoh thoughtfully. "Only good people can see spirits."

Master Yoh," sighed the servant. "You still don't get the general rule of life, right?"

 "What general rule?" asked Yoh sand his spirit at the same time.

"In the strictest rules of life, women are always the exception to the rules."

Amidamaru nodded solemnly. "True, true."

 Yoh looked impressed. "You seem to know as lot about women."             

"Oh yes," said Horo Horo, nodding. "Experience is the best teacher."

"So what sort of experiences did you have?" asked the familiar female voice. 

All three heads turned to Anna, who was standing on the door, arms crossed in front of her chest. She walked into the room, forehead creased. "Do enlighten me."

Horo Horo flinched. "Umm…too many to mention?" 

She smiled. "Is that so? Then it's time to put those 'too many to mention' theories into practice. What am I thinking of doing right now?"

He laughed nervously. "Murder is out of the topic, right?"

Yoh knew that smile. He saw that too many times already. "You're going to make him train with me?"   

She nodded. "Sensei asked me to train Horo Horo too, because he is such a weak and flappable warrior which is unbecoming of the tribe he came from."  Her eyes narrowed at the blue-haired servant. "You and Asakura will take turns in doing the household chores. You will train at the same time. Horo Horo shall start tomorrow too. Any questions?"

Vehement shakes of heads. 

"Good." She threw Yoh as bottle and wordlessly left the room.

 As soon as the door shut, Amidamaru and Horo Horo looked at the bottle she tossed Yoh. "Poison?" guessed the spirit.  

Horo Horo sniffed the concoction. "No. It's a medicine. A painkiller, in fact." 

"Painkiller?" echoed the innocent spirit. "Does she think that Master Yoh is a pain in her life, so through this, she's going to kill him?"

"No," said Horo Horo. "This is something that can cure muscle pains."

Yoh took the bottle and sniffed it too. Immediately, he stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked Horo Horo, puzzled.

"I'm going to thank her," he said before leaving the room.

"How did he know that it was from Ma'm Anna?" asked Amidamaru.

"Beats me," shrugged the blue-haired boy. "I would never imagine that the medicine is from her. People like her enjoy seeing suffering. Maybe Master Yoh is wrong. The Madam must be the one who asked Anna to give Master Yoh the medicine."

Anna was dressing up when she heard as knock on the door. She hugged her kimono then opened the door. It was Yoh. Grinning sheepishly, of course, as he always does.

"What do you want?" she asked evenly.

"I want to thank you for the medicine," he said.

"It belongs to sensei," she said nonchalantly.

 "It doesn't," he said good-naturedly. "The ingredients of that medicine can only be found in Kanagawa, and only a few Shamans know how to make this."

He was smarter than she thought. He was right, but her eyes gave nothing away. "It was sensei who asked me to give it to you."

"She wouldn't," he said. "She promised not to interfere with your training, and I know her. You can kill me if you want, but she won't care, as long as it would mean that I would become the best shaman."

She was shocked by how easily he was able to block all her alibis. "Is that all you're going to say?"

He frowned. "I know that deep inside, you're a good person. Why do you keep on acting like that?"

"Like what?"

He sighed. "I want to be your friend."

She tore her eyes away from his face. "I don't need one."

"The way you speak, it seems to me that you need one more than ever," he said, giving her a pitying look.

She didn't like that one bit. "Alright, let's have a deal. If you prove yourself to be a worthy shaman, I will be your friend for as long as you want. But if you lose, you will have to give Amidamaru to me."

He frowned. "You don't understand what a friend is, do you? I don't use my friends to bet. But if that is the only way to show you what a friend is, then Amidamaru may understand me."

She started to close the door when he stopped her. "Goodnight, Anna."

"I told you not to call me by my first name!" she snapped.

"I call all my friends by their first names," he said casually, and then went back to his own room.

Her clutch on her kimono became tighter. "Damn you, Asakura Yoh. I don't need one more person to complicate my organized life. I don't want as friend."

She slammed the door, her heart heavier than usual. 

**tsauzuku**


	3. 3

"Don't stop sweeping!!! If I catch any one of you resting, I'll add ten more kilometers in your jogging later!" yelled Anna when she saw Horo Horo and Yoh standing in the middle of the gravel pathway, panting heavily. In just a span of four hours, Anna had made them chop two hundred pieces of wood for charcoal in the nearby mountain, swim through the whole course of the river from the boundary of the vast seventy hectare Asakura compound to the boundary of Izumi, and do the laundry in the house without the convenience of a washing machine.

Right now, they were being ordered to clean the kilometer-long path towards the temple.

"Yes Ma'am!" said the two boys in unison.

She glared at them. "Stop yakking and start moving!" she continued reading her pocketbook. "Tribe boy, I want you to sweep faster because you still have to draw my bath."

"That is the last straw!" Yoh watched as his servant threw the broom down. "I'm serving Master Yoh, not you! Why should I draw your bath?"

"Because I said so," she said coolly.

Yoh picked the broom up. "No problem. I can draw your bath for you, Anna."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me by my first name?" she snapped.

He looked at his servant, who brought out a mini pad where the data on Anna's behavior were jotted down. "Forty five?"

Horo Horo nodded. "Got that in one." He rolled his eyes. "Why are you obeying her? Do you really believe that this special training of hers can give us more outcomes other than possible amputations, dehydration, or nervous breakdown?"

"Well, let's just put it that way," said Yoh, eyes twinkling. "If we don't become stronger fighters, we can become better housemaids."

Anna's eyes narrowed at them. "I don't like it when people talk about me behind my back."

"I'm sorry!" said Yoh quickly.

It had been half a month ever since Anna and Yoh were engaged unceremoniously by the latter's grandmother. Since then, the usually lazy bum Asakura Yoh and his tolerating guardian Horo Horo became instant slaves to Anna, who was really enjoying the power she was given as the fiancée of the Shaman King.

She stood up. "Get my bath ready in three minutes. The water must be lukewarm." She then headed for her room.

"Be sure to get a divorce when you do get married to her," whispered Horo fiercely to Yoh. "Can you imagine what your life would be like, waking up everyday to cook and clean and send the kids to school while she lies in front of the TV, munching on junk food? I won't be too surprised if it would be you who would give birth to your future kids as a part of your special training."

He couldn't help but grin at his friend. "It won't happen anytime soon. I'll cross the bridge when it's crossable."

"Heh! It's 'when you get there', Master Yoh!" corrected Horo. A naughty smile then spread on his face. "But she's really cute, eh?"

Yoh blinked. "Yeah. So?"

"Take away her obnoxious attitude and give her the personality of, say, a typical airhead shoujo in manga series, and she's the perfect wife material!" said the servant, clapping his hands excitedly.

"But then, that's not Anna anymore," said the future shaman king, grinning at the thought. Kyouyama Anna in a Belldandy mode was scarier than her real self. In the short period that they had spent together – not _together_ together, but together in the simplest sense – he had come to get used to her attitude.

Unfortunately, Horo Horo wasn't as understanding. "I'm glad she's not _my_ fiancée. I would have opted to commit suicide instead."

Amidamaru suddenly appeared with us. "If you commit suicide, you still won't escape her. She's a spiritualistic medium, and she can call you forth anywhere anytime and any moment she pleases, just to torture you." He then started crying to his Yoh-dono how Anna's beads were killing him slowly.

Yoh sighed. "Don't worry, Amidamaru. I will try to talk to her later."

Horo Horo bowed solemnly. "I wish you make it out alive when you do."

He laughed, then gasped. "I think there's this one thing I forgot to do…"

"Anna's bath!!!"

"Is it warm enough?" asked Yoh, putting more wood to the furnace that was connected to the bath inside the house.

"No. Not yet," she said curtly.

He sighed, then put more wood again.

"Where is that annoying blue-haired freak?" she asked all of a sudden.

"S-Still sweeping," he replied.

"Tell him that he should be finished by the time that I finish my bath," she said.

"Don't be too hard on him and Amidamaru," he said. "I'm the one whom you must train hard."

"Who are you to dictate me on my plans? I'm the one in-charge," she said.

"Yes, but…you should take it easy," he said slowly.

"You guys will forever be lazy slackers if I take it easy," she said. "Especially you, Asakura. As the future shaman king, you must be always ready to face people who will challenge your rank. You must be able to show them that you can defend your rank and prove that you are the rightful bearer of that great title."

"That sounds nice," he said.

Silence.

"Anna?"

She didn't bother to call his attention for calling her name again – he wouldn't listen anyway – and wearily asked what was on his mind.

"What about you? What is your dream?"

A long pause ensued before she finally spoke up. "I have forgotten already. Such things like dreams or fantasies don't exist in my vocabulary because they are not real, therefore insignificant."

"My dream is to be a shaman king, because that is what my folks taught me to dream. However, deep inside me, there's one dream that is not related at all to being a shaman." Yoh grinned. "My dream is to be happy."

"H-Happy?"

"Yep. Lying lazily under the shade of the tree makes me happy. Listening to my walkman is happiness for me. Eating great food can make me happy too. But the happiness that I dream to find is one that I won't outgrow and vice versa. One that I know will keep me happy in my entire lifetime."

Yoh put in some more wood. "To find that thing is my dream. Because I will eventually grow bored of lying down, or my walkman would run out of batteries, or my food will be digested already, never to return. I want to find something that would mean everything to me."

"Quixotic," said Anna after awhile. "Such thing does not exist."

"I'm still hoping to find it." He said as he grinned.

No more was said. He just kept on placing wood after wood in the furnace.

"Hey," said Horo suddenly, passing by Yoh. "Isn't she done with her bath already?"

"Hmm?" He frowned. "That's strange. She's not coming out yet."

"The water is boiling already. You can stop putting wood already," said Horo Horo when he noticed that the flames were roaring. "You might burn her already."

Yoh's eyes widened. "Uh, Anna? Anna, are you ok in there?"

Horo slapped his hand on his forehead. "I knew it. He didn't know how to draw a bath." It was Tamao who always prepares Yoh's bath for him.

"Anna? Anna?!" Yoh's voice was rising in panic.

No reply.

He freaked out. "Argh! I cooked her alive!" Without thinking, he hurried into the bath, removed his shirt, and covered with it the wet body of the unconscious Anna. He lifted her out of the water and laid her on the ground. "Anna?" Dread was forming within him when she wasn't replying.

Horo came in too, alert. "How is she?"

"She's not responding," he said.

"Did she drown? Try giving her a CPR," said Horo.

"CPR?" Yoh's eyes widened. He looked at Anna grimly, then back at his servant. "What's that?"

Horo Horo sighed. "It's like this. You press down on her chest, then at the same time, you breathe into her mouth." He took out Kuroro and demonstrated the chest pushing. He leaned down towards his spirit, then grinned. "Nah, I won't kiss you. I try to stay wholesome all the time."

"K-Kiss?" he echoed feebly. He looked at the girl and clenched his fists. "I respect women. I value their chastity above all things…"

"If you won't do it, I'll do it-" He was starting to say when Amidamaru appeared. "Horo Horo, she is Master Yoh's fiancée. Don't you dare!"

The servant looked disappointed, but he turned to his master. "Hurry up, Master Yoh!"

"Uh…alright. If it will save her…" He gulped, then leaned down towards her face, eyes closed. As he inched closer to her, he could feel his heart race. She smelled like  bunch of roses – sweet, young pink ones, in fact. It was enough for him to not notice that Anna's face wrinkled, to Horo and Amidamaru's shock.

Her eyes slowly flapped open as she yawned.

At last, Yoh noticed that she was already awake.

But it was too late.

His lips were brushing hers gently already.

And Anna's eyes were wide open, gaping at him.

"She didn't believe me when I said I was just practicing CPR," narrated Yoh wryly when his best friend, Oyamada Manta came to visit him that day.

"Um, Yoh-kun, let me get this straight," said the little boy. "You are suddenly engaged to a girl that you caught bathing in a brook and is now taking revenge at you by training you like hell day and night. Suddenly, this afternoon, you thought she drowned and you saved her, and tried to perform CPR but it turned out that she just slept off. Now you look like a victim of World War II." He looked at Yoh's swollen face then sighed. "She sure can slap very well."

"It must be a talent," agreed Horo Horo, coming in with a tray of drinks for all of them. He sat down with them. "Forgive me for saying this, but I am thankful that it happened. Now that she-devil is not tormenting us for the meantime. She must still be recovering from the trauma you gave her, eh, Master Yoh?"

He sighed.

Amidamaru appeared. "It's all your fault, Horo Horo! You shouldn't have put that ridiculous suggestion into Master's head!"

"Yeah!" seconded Manta. "Yoh would never think of that outrageous idea in the first place if not encouraged by the likes of you!"

"Likes of me? Hey!" said Horo crossly. "I think you should blame Master Yoh too. He wouldn't do something that he didn't like to do."

Yoh nodded. "He's right."

Amidamaru and Manta's eyes widened. "So you liked it?"

Yoh shrugged. "Yeah," he said as if he just mentioned that he liked doughnuts or Bob CDs. 

Horo Horo smiled triumphantly. "See?" He suddenly clasped Yoh's hands and pressed them to his face. "These hands were able to touch her naked body. Transmit to me all her scents and skin, Master!"

Manta wanted to pummel Horo Horo for his pervertedness, but Pirika appeared. Upon seeing what her brother was doing to Yoh, she screamed.

"Onii-chan, how could you?" sobbed Pirika. "I was so glad at first when you're not having a girlfriend yet, but I didn't know it was because you wanted a _boy_friend! How could you? Oh, I would die in self shame and pity! Ah, my brother's a gay!"

Horo Horo wanted to tear his sister apart. " I told you, I'm NOT!"

Yoh grinned. "I already have a fiancée, Pirika."

This calmed the girl down. "Really?"

"Yes!" cried Manta. "And about what you saw awhile ago, they were just playing around!"

"Really?" sniffed the girl. "Thanks, Kuroro."

"It's Manta."

"I don't care. You and Kuroro will make a lovely pair."

"SHUT UP!!!"

"What's with all the noise?"

Yoh slowly turned around and saw his fiancée standing behind them, arms crossed. "Anna?" he asked awkwardly.

She looked at Yoh, and for a moment, he thought he saw her eyes shake, but they became blank once again. "You and Horo Horo better get started on the 50 km run."

"Right!" said the two quickly, going towards the stock room to get the weights.

Manta looked at the girl in awe. How was it possible that her mere words could send two tough guys like Yoh and Horo Horo in a flurry?

"You, water meat bun," said Anna, turning to him.

He cringed.

"Get inside and start washing the dishes."

"But I'm just a visitor here!" he protested.

"I'll start counting. One…"

Manta hurried into the house, wailing all the way. Now he understood how she could bring his friends down on their knees, begging for her mercy. 

Anna turned to Pirika next. "And you, stop crying."

She was about to retort when Anna spoke again. "You should be proud of your brother. He has the making of a great fighter."

Pirika was stunned by the unexpected compliment from the unexpected person.

Anna turned back and retreated to her room.

"How is my grandson?" asked Kino after she finished her training for that day.

Anna nodded. "His endurance is improving."

"Never thought I would hear the word 'progress' and my grandson's name at the same sentence." The old woman sighed.

"He is destined for greater heights," she agreed.

"And I want him to make it there… with you," said Kino, smiling meaningfully.

"One forty nine…one fifty…"counted Yoh as Anna watched him somewhat distractedly. Horo Horo had long finished his 150 push-ups earlier this afternoon, so it was just the two of them out in the garden that night.

"One fifty one…one fifty two…"

Anna looked at her fiancé's face, and remembered how it looked like when it was just inches away from hers. She felt like she wanted to punch somebody.

"One fifty three…one fifty four…one fifty five…"

But she couldn't stop thinking of the peculiar warmth she felt when his lips were on hers. No one had ever dared to touch her that intimately before.

"One fifty six…one fifty seven… one fifty eight…"

_He's my fiancé. I shouldn't have beaten him up for that._

"One fifty nine…one sixty…"

Anna blinked. "You did extra ten push-ups?"

"A way of apologizing for being ungentlemanly," he said, grinning uncertainly. "I'm sorry for kissing you without your permission."

She couldn't understand why she was secretly touched by what he did. Instead she said, "Ten more push-ups, then perhaps I can forgive you."

His face lit up. "Sure, Anna!" He returned to the ground, doing ten more push-ups.

_I may forgive it, but forgetting it is another story._

**tsuzuku**

I do not have anything against Belldandy, mind you. She was just the first female anime character that entered my mind who would obey whatever her master says. 


	4. 4

Pirika watched as Anna dragged her screaming brother away.

"Anna, have mercy! I just jogged around the whole Asakura compound backwards with a ten-pound weight on my leg! Please allow me to rest even for a short while!" yelled Horo Horo as his fingers clawed on the soil desperately.

"Join your friend Asakura in the forest right now," she said calmly. "He's doing vine exercises right now, and he told me that he wants company. You can't afford to make the shaman king lonely now, can you?"

"Let him be! Let him die in his loneliness! I promise to visit him in his funeral, just let me rest!" cried the servant.

"He'll be visiting _your_ funeral if you don't behave," she threatened, glaring at him.

Horo Horo then noticed his little sister watching in the sidelines. "Pirika, have mercy on your big brother! Help me! Save me from this witch!"

She grinned. "Happy training! I know Ms. Anna can handle your trainings properly!" She still couldn't forget what the aloof _itako_ told her some weeks ago.

_"Your brother has the makings of a good fighter. You must be proud of him."_

"In that case, if I don't survive and I can't return here anymore, promise me that you'll be a good girl!" Horo Horo was saying as he was being dragged away. "Take care of Kururu… and..and…remember to brush your teeth three times a day!"

"Bye!" said Pirika, waving at him. She used to be the one who drags her brother off like that, but ever since Anna came, she was relieved of that tedious job. Besides, Anna was pretty cool in her point of view, the way she never loses her cool and how she bosses the guys around, and gets away with it cleanly. She was the epitome of the girl that she wanted to be when she grows up. She couldn't wait till the day comes when she can order her brother around like that.

She then looked around. "I wonder where Kururu went. Did she and Master Oyamada elope or something?"

Her eyes widened when she heard a high-pitched scream coming from the front gates of the Asakura house. "Kururu!"

"Out of my way!" yelled Tao Ren as Kururu, shaking, blocked his way. He was doing an espionage on the house of the Asakura to find out how the skills of the heir to the shaman king title, Asakura Yoh, had improved since the day they heard from their spies that he was undergoing a special training under a certain Kyouyama Anna.

His overprotective sister, Tao Jun, forbade him to go to this place, but he still persisted to go. He was driven by the thought of defeating and shaming the future shaman king. This was his way of avenging the family Tao's honor, when an Asakura defeated a Tao centuries ago in getting the privilege to be bestowed the noble powers of a shaman king.

So even without the knowledge needed to make a successful spying on the family, he went on to the compound, relying on his impressive ability as a shaman in-training.

And now, this small shrimp would get in his way? He looked disdainfully at Kururu. "Pathetic." He picked it up while his other arm reached for the spear behind him. Weaklings must die, as the law of nature insists.

"Kururu!" cried a female voice. Startled, Ren quickly hid his spear and was about to escape had he only noticed a tree directly behind him. He slammed his face squarely on the trunk, making his head cloth drop down the ground.

"Hey, are you alright?" the voice asked.

He opened his eyes, and was stunned to see a worried face of a blue-haired girl peering down at him in concern.

"Why won't you talk? Are you mute?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. She kneeled down directly in front of him, not taking her eyes off him.

_Did she recognize me? Does she know that I'm an enemy?_ His heart was beating so quickly. _Will she tell the others?_

To his surprise, she reached out to touch the bump on his forehead. "You didn't see the tree behind you?"

His eyes widened upon feeling her feathery touch on his forehead. "D-Don't touch me!" he yelped.

"Wow, you can talk!" Her eyes twinkled. "I'm grateful that you found Kururu. I was looking for her all over the place! My name is Pirika. What's yours?"

"Get lost!" he snapped.

"Hmmm…nice meeting you, Mr. Lost. Or can I call you Get?"

He blinked. "N-No…it's Ren."

"You sure have a lot of names," she said, smiling sweetly. "I'll call you Ren then." She looked at the bump on his forehead again. "We better treat that." From her apron's pocket, she took out her handkerchief and a small jar of ointment. 

"W-What are you planning to do?" he asked cautiously. "What are those for?" _Will she poison me?_

She showed her the jar. "Painkiller. I always have one handy, since my brother and Master Yoh are always training, and in the process, always injuring themselves." She took a fingerful of the ointment and rubbed it gently on his forehead. He winced, but when she smiled apologetically, strangely, he didn't feel the pain anymore. 

 "So what are you doing here? Did you get lost?" asked Pirika when she finished treating his bruise.

He nodded slowly.

"I'll show you the way out of here then." Without warning, she reached out and grabbed his hand, then clasped it with hers. "This way, please."

He looked at her incredulously. Was she just toying with her, or she really does not know who he was?

He didn't know for sure. He found himself staring at his hand imprisoned by her creamy-skinned one. No, no one had held his hand like that before. It was only his sister, Jun, and at those times, he would reluctantly refuse her affection, just to maintain his reputation as unaffected and distant.

And now, this stranger was walking with him in the compound of his family's archenemy, talking to him as if they had known each other all their lives.

"There you go!" She showed him the welcome arc of the Asakura gates. "I hope you find your way home now."

Y-Yes."

"Good luck! Thanks again for finding Kururu for me!" she said as she waved goodbye to him happily. "Visit me again here, ok?"

He paused, then ran away.

"You two may rest for sixty seconds," Anna announced after four hours of Yoh and Horo Horo's vine jumping and vine swinging session. The two were about to sit down, but she glared at them. "You will rest _standing_."

"OK," agreed Yoh.

"Better than nothing," seconded Horo Horo wearily.

"Asakura-sensei has told me that I shall test how your performance has improved over the whole month that you had been training," she said, eyes on Yoh.  "I will now ask you two to spar, and I expect that you both give your best."

"But we're friends!" argued Horo Horo. "I won't hurt my Master Yoh! I mean, we had been friends ever since we were three years and four months old! We had shared our laughters and tears, our joys and pains, our triumphs and defeats-"

"I'll give you fifty more push-ups," said Anna under her heavy-lidded eyes.

"Well, there are times in life that a man must make sacrifices. This is one of those." Horo Horo patted the sweatdropping Yoh on the shoulder. "May the best man win."

"Amidamaru!" called Yoh. "Spirit ball mode!"

"Kururu!" called Horo Horo. "Spirit ball mode!"

Anna narrowed her eyes at the latter. "What do you think are you doing?"

Horo Horo blinked when he didn't see his main spirit. "W-Where's Kururu?"

His answer came when Pirika rushed towards the forest. "Onii-chan! I found Kururu already!"

He slapped his forehead. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about it. I was looking for Kururu the whole morning. Where did you find her?"

"A boy found her," narrated Pirika. "A really quiet and strange boy, but really cute."

His forehead creased. "How old is he? Do I know him? Is he a fighter like me? Can he stand up to me?" His big-brother complex that he rarely shows in public was starting to reveal itself to Anna and Yoh.

"Onii-chan…" said Pirika, sweatdropping.

"Stop yakking!" snapped Anna. "Get your spirit already!"

"Right!"

Under Anna's watchful eyes, she observed the battle between Yoh and Horo Horo.

_Yoh still has a long way to go_, she thought as Horo Horo used his oversoul.

"W-What technique is that?" asked Yoh in astonishment.

Amidamaru frowned. "The way he uses his spirit is very different from our style."

"Correct," she said from the sidelines. "He does not merely fuse his main spirit into his body. He _manifests_ the traits of the spirit itself. He becomes the extension of the spirit."

The avalanche crashed down on Yoh, but Horo Horo was able to save him just in time.

"T-That was awesome!" gushed Yoh. "H-How in the world did you do that?"

"Are you too stupid to even figure that out all by yourself?" snapped Anna. "I want you to go over the oversoul technique tonight. If you still haven't mastered it by tomorrow, I'll make Oyamada your sparring partner, since he's the only one whose abilities you can match up to."

Horo Horo snickered.

"If I were you, I won't smile so much," she snapped at the servant. "It's time for your 50 kilometer run."

"Y-Yes!" And the Ainu warrior headed outside for his routine jogging.

"Asakura," called Anna.

"Yes?"

"I'm expecting results tomorrow." She crossed her arms in front of her. "Do not disappoint me."

He grinned. "I'll do my best."

"Your bath is ready. That can relax your tight muscles." With that, she left already.

"Where have you been, Master Ren?" asked Li Pailong worriedly, following the young boy into the mansion. "Your sister has been looking for you."

"I went out to chase butterflies in the garden," he said sarcastically.

"Ren!" Jun went to her brother, not bothering to hide how upset she was. "Where have you been?"

"I checked on the Asakura compound awhile ago."

Her face turned pale. "What?! You know that it's the enemy's territory. Were you caught?"

"No," he said curtly. "The problem with you is you don't trust me enough."

"Wait, what's that cloth on your forehead?" asked Pailong.

He remembered about his bump only now. He quickly took off the handkerchief that the girl in the garden gave him. "None of your business."

Jun knelt down in front of him and kissed the bump gently, then hugged him tightly. "Don't ever make me worry that way again, ok?"

He felt a tug in his heart, and he nodded.

"What did you find out?" a voice boomed from behind.

Jun released her little brother and turned to the figure reverently. "Father."

Ren's fists clenched.

Yoh sighed when he couldn't open the door of his room. "It's locked. I wonder who did this."

"Master Yoh, I'm sorry. I did that." Tamao arrived, face bowed. "It was Ms. Anna's order. She said that you are not allowed to sleep in your room unless you have mastered the oversoul. I would have said no, but Madam Kino backed her order up."

He grinned. "No problem. I understand."

"You can sleep in my room," she offered eagerly.

He sweatdropped. "N-No thanks."

"I won't tell," she promised.

"You won't, but I'll still know anyway." Anna crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Asakura, get your butt out of the house and start training."

"Yes!" Yoh smiled apologetically at Tamao then headed out of the house.

"You are a sadist!" snapped Tamao.

"Thank you for the compliment," she said coolly. "Now if you will excuse me, I still have a lot more important things to do."

"Isn't Master Yoh going to sleep yet?" asked Pirika when she heard the voice of Yoh practicing by the garden.

"Anna will kill him if he doesn't get the technique right," explained Horo Horo as he prepared to sleep.

"Why don't you just teach it to him then?" she asked curiously.

"There are just some things that are better discovered all by yourself than learned." He glanced at his sister. "Ready for lights off?"

"Yup!"

"Good. Now you can start telling me about this cute boy you met awhile ago…"

"Onii-chan!"

"The only way I can approve of your suitor is for him to beat me in a shaman fight."

"But that is next to impossible!"

"Exactly."

"I still don't get the technique," whined Yoh as he sat down on the grass, exhausted.

"Maybe you should rest first, Master Yoh," said Amidamaru worriedly.

"No…I can't disappoint Anna." He stood up again and tried to rethink of what Horo Horo did to make the oversoul possible.

He blinked when he felt snow touch his skin.

Amidamaru looked up at the sky. "Huh? Snow in July?"

Anna looked up at the sky, disturbed. This was one of the signs that Kino has told her. Even the Earth feels the beginning of destruction.

She looked back at Yoh and Amidamaru standing on the garden below her window. _You must learn, and learn fast, Yoh. A shaman king is needed by the world once again._

She then noticed a figure standing by the forest, looking at Yoh directly.

"It is beginning," said a voice cheerfully. "I have waited long enough." He hugged the hood of his black robe close to him. "Soon, Yoh Asakura, soon." 

He then noticed that he was being watched. He looked up and saw a blond-haired girl looking at him directly.

He smiled and saluted, then retreated into the shadows of the dark forest.

**tsuzuku**


	5. 5

The next morning, Anna was sipping her tea when Yoh arrived inside the house, breathing heavily and looking filthy.

But he was smiling.

"I've mastered it," he announced.

She merely looked at him, then at the sword at his hand, which seemed to have gained a new life. "Is that so?"

"Now, can I sleep?" he asked.

"Take your dinner first," she said, not looking at him.

"N-Nah. I want to…sleep…first…" With that, Yoh collapsed on the doorway, snoring softly.

Anna stood up and went to her bedroom. When she came back, she was holding a blanket. She placed it gently on her fiancé, then took the harusame from him. To her surprise, Yoh's hand covered hers accidentally.

"Ami…damaru…into the…harusame," he mumbled before going back into sleep.

She felt her mouth twitch, then decided to let him keep the sheath.

_He's telling the truth, He did practice the technique all night._

_Sleep. You deserve that._

She tried to pull her hand away, but he mumbled a protest, not letting go of her hand.

Her eyes softened, and she untangled her hand from his.

She didn't notice Kino watching them, a small smile on her face.

"Where are you going?" asked Jun when she saw her little brother dressing up early.

"I'm going to the church," he said sarcastically. "I've decided to mend my ways and will now dedicate my life to selfless existence."

"Your sister is just worried!" Pailong couldn't help but snap. "Why can't you appreciate that?"

His lips thinned into a sneer. "What do you know? A mere bodyguard who imagines that he is like us when he knows that he is long dead. Besides I do not give high regard to the unsolicited opinions of a mere puppet."

Jun was shocked. "Ren!"

He turned to her. "Please mind your own business and I will mind mine." With that, he left the mansion.

Pailong looked at his mistress. "Miss Jun…"

"I'm so sorry, Pailong," she whispered. "My brother does not mean that…he was just…well, affected by our father's presence."

"D-Don't," stammered Pailong. "I understand Master Ren. I hold no grudge against him. For your sake, Miss Jun, I will extend my patience."

"I wish my patience is as strong as yours. I easily get upset when it comes to my brother…my only brother." She looked at him, eyes shaking. "I care for him more than anyone else in the world."

He nodded smilingly, silently wishing that he could summon the guts to take his fragile-looking mistress into his arms. "He is lucky to have someone to love him the way you do. He shall realize that soon enough."

"You will be training alone today," said Anna, crossing her arms smugly in front of her chest. She eyed Horo Horo warily. "No tricks, do you understand?"

"Ma'am, yes, Ma'am!" saluted the boy servant. "Um…what do you want me to do today?"

"I want you to bring me something that can fill up the whole living room with this." She placed a piece of coin on his hand.

He blinked, then looked at in horror. "W-What?!!! You're asking for impossible things! I can barely buy a piece of candy with this!"

"Obey before you ask." She glared at him. "By the way, in between this task, you must also complete your 50 km jog and your 150 push-ups, plus your fifty laps in the river."

Horo Horo recounted to his sister what Anna ordered him to do.

Pirika looked at the coin. "Surely, Anna okami would not ask for impossible things, onii-chan. She must be teaching you to use your mind, in case one still exists within you."

"What?!"

"N-Nothing." She tossed the coin up and down in the air. "Why don't you get started on the fifty laps of swimming before they tell Anna okami." She pointed to the spirits that had been following his brother around since his special training began.

"Yeah, I better," agreed Horo Horo wearily. "But as much as I hated to admit it, the witch' training is actually starting to give me good results. My oversoul in my last battle with Yoh became much easier, and I felt that it lasted a few minutes longer than it usually did. If I keep this up, I may really improve more on amplifying the strengths of my attack!"

"That's the spirit, onii-chan!" cheered Pirika.

Horo Horo grinned, then sighed. "But she's still a pain in the ass."

Anna was walking back into the house when she felt another presence. It wasn't a normal human one. She stopped walking. "If you don't come out within the count of three, I shall be forced to attack. One…"

The wind began to blew heavier.

"Two…"

The leaves from the tree rustled, and leaves flew everywhere.

She didn't bother anymore to count up to three. She took off her prayer beads and chanted a sacred spell. She threw it around the tree on her left, and three evil spirits came out. She pressed her hands together and mumbled a prayer. Immediately, the spirits dissolved into nothingness.

She turned around, and was stunned to see a boy standing directly in front of her. 

_How did he came up behind me so fast without me sensing it?_

She was immobilized by shock, especially when she saw the face.

He looked like Yoh, but still, it wasn't him. The person before him looked more sinister, despite the cheerful smile pasted on his smile.

"You're cheating," he told her. "You said you'd count up to three. I heard only two numbers. You didn't give my slaves a chance to show you their real powers."

"Do you expect me to wait for them then?" she asked, finally finding her voice.

"Smart girl," he said, unruffled by her coldness. "My brother's girl."

"B-Brother?" she whispered. It was taking her painfully slow seconds for her to digest what he said, along with the aura that she could sense from him.

He smiled. "You are scared of me, sweet one, aren't you?"

"Cocky, aren't you?" she asked through her heavy-lidded gaze.

"Confident," he stressed. "I can hear the frantic beats of your little heart, even at this distance. You are panicking. You do not know who I am, and you don't know whether to believe that I am your fiancé's brother."

She was stunned. _How could have he read my mind so easily?_

He laughed. "No, there is nothing wrong with you, Kyouyama Anna. You can hide your thoughts pretty well, and I can't read your mind, no matter how I try. You may have been a perfect robot, except that your heart betrays you. Your heart is speaking volumes."

At last, she regained her composure. "You seem to know a lot of things, but you forgot one little thing."

His forehead creased in interest. "Oh? And what is that one little thing?"

A sound slap turned his cheek to the right. "No one can ever manipulate Kyouyama Anna." Her voice was still even, despite the fury burning within her. 

He touched his cheek, grinning. "You just proved to me what a challenge you are. Crushing your wild and untamed spirit shall be my delight." He bowed away. "It has been my pleasure to meet you, Anna. We shall meet again."

She felt the presence vanish, and she was alone once again. She rested her back against the tree, feeling that she was exhausted and drained physically and emotionally.

_Yoh's brother?_

_Who is he?_

Ren walked around the market square aimlessly, not knowing where to go. He wanted to train, but he was not in the mood to do so.

Just when he was about to give up and just go back to his home when he heard a familiar female screech. He hurried towards the source of the voice, where a large crowd was forming.

"Give back my money!" cried Pirika, trying to catch the petty thief who took off with the coin that Anna gave her brother for his assignment. She decided to help her poor brother by looking for wholesale items worth a penny. She didn't have much luck though. And now, someone stole the money!

"Don't bother to go after him anymore!" advised one concerned vendor, holding her back. "It's only a penny."

"Y-You don't understand! T-That penny is marked! My brother's fate depends on that!" she wailed as she watched the thief disappear amidst the crowd. The people didn't bother to help, because they were too busy amusing themselves on the thought of a girl getting all bent up for a penny.

She shut her eyes, trying her hardest not to cry. _I'm sorry, Onii-chan. I failed you. I'm so sorry…_

"Is this it?"

She opened her eyes and found Tao Ren holding out a coin towards her, on his other hand clutching the shirt of the thief.

"Is this your money?" he asked again.

Her eyes widened, and by instinct, she ran to him and threw her arms around him happily. "Arigatou!!!"

Ren felt the coin drop down from his hand and his grip on the thief's shirt loosen, enough for him to get away, but he couldn't react fast enough.

Finally, he pulled away from her and picked up the coin that dropped down the ground. He handed it to her. 

"Thank you so much!" she gushed. "You saved my life yet again!"

"A penny?" There was a question in his voice.

She sweatdropped. "W-Well, it's like this…"

"Something that can fill an entire room?" echoed Ren in disbelief. 

She nodded, then looked at the penny on her hand. "How can I buy something plenty or large enough to fill such a large space with this?"

"Can my money help?" he asked, not meaning to involve himself, but her troubled face was too much for him.

"N-No. Her rules were very strict. She wants the penny used – that alone."

He took the coin from her hand and peered at it curiously. He began to think deeply, his gaze concentrating on a man who lit his cigarette. He then snapped his fingers. "I think I already know."

She clapped her hands excitedly. "Really?"

He stood up, then helped her up. "Follow me."

Yoh opened his eyes and found Manta and Tamao looking at him with relief.

"At last, you woke up, Yoh-kun!" said his best friend. "You've been asleep for hours."

"W-Where am I?" he asked.

"In your bedroom, Master Yoh," said Tamao.

"H-How did that happen? I-I fell asleep in the doorway this morning!" he said, recalling that he fell asleep after Anna invited him to eat his cold supper.

"Ryu transferred you here," explained Manta.

"Ryu?" He was puzzled.

"Your biggest fan and staunchest supporter. Ryu of the wooden sword." He gestured towards the tall man with a weird hairdo who was sleeping on the floor. "He had traveled from the far kingdom in the east just to meet the future heir to the throne of the shaman king."

"Shall we wake him up already, Master Yoh?" asked Tamao.

"No, let him sleep. We can talk later." He looked around the room. "Where's Anna?"

Manta rubbed his head. "She said that she was just going to check on Horo Horo, but she still hasn't returned. She's been gone for two hours already."

"Maybe she's still torturing, I mean, training Horo Horo," said Tamao, scowling.

"Haha! You sound so funny when you sound so jealous! You are so obvious!" laughed Horo Horo as he entered the room.

Tamao glared at him. "Hah! Who asked you?" She silently wondered how a soft-spoken person like her could erupt this way when it comes to Horo Horo.

Yoh blinked. "Isn't Anna with you?"

Horo shook his head. "If she was, I didn't notice. I was just going to eat a little before I do my 50 km jog." He turned back to the maid. "Get me a plate of sandwich and a glass of juice."

"Hah! You're a servant here too! I will serve only Master Yoh!"

"Don't be so transparent with your feelings, Tamao! Now Yoh knows that you are secretly in love with him!" teased Horo.

The maid blushed. "No! It's not true!"

Yoh grinned, then looked out at the window, wondering where his fiancée was right now.

"Is something bothering you?" asked Kino as she looked at her unusually more pensive than usual student.

Anna shook her head. "Do not bother about me, Sensei."  

"You must tell me what's on your mind," the old woman said.

She nodded reluctantly, then told him about the appearance of Yoh's brother. At the end of her narration, the woman wasn't smiling.

"Be careful of him. He has returned." Kino gazed at her. "Now more than ever, Yoh must learn."

"He has taken the first step already," she told her. "He has learned the oversoul."

"That's a start," agreed her teacher. "You've been such a great help to my grandson."

She bowed. "Think nothing of it."

At last, Pirika arrived, a small package on her hand. Ren stood outside the familiar gates of the Asakura mansion.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in and meet the others?" she asked again.

He shook his head.

She sighed. "I could have dragged you in there with me, but I'm worried about onii-chan…what he would do if he sees you." Her cheeks turned warm faintly, startling him. "Thanks for your help again!" She gave him a quick wave, then disappeared into the compound.

Ren sighed deeply, then walked back home.

"Are you sure this is it?" asked Horo Horo as he looked at what Pirika bought that night.

"My friend says so!" insisted Pirika, pouting.

"By any chance, it's not the same friend that you told me you have a crush on, eh?" asked the elder brother, grinning wickedly.

"Onii-chan!" She blushed profusely and pushed her brother away. "It's not true!"

Unfortunately, her push was a bit too much, because it caused him to fall off from the window pane that he was sitting on.

"Onii-chan?" Pirika peered downwards, where she found his brother lying on his stomach.

"O-OK…I…just…realized something…"moaned Horo Horo. "Ouch. The truth _does_ hurt."

"Master Yoh!" gushed Ryu when upon waking up, he saw the future shaman king looking his way.

"I'm glad you're awake already," greeted Yoh cheerfully. "Thanks for bringing me here."

"D-Don't thank me, Master Yoh! It is my pleasure to serve an important person like you!" He clasped Yoh's hands with his. "All my life, I had been dreaming of serving a shaman king, and it came true, thanks to you!"

"Ah, Yoh, he wants to train as a shaman too, under your supervision." Manta smiled at Ryu.

"Um, actually, I don't know anything about teaching…" Yoh began to say.

"Yeah," agreed Horo Horo. "To tell you the truth, Ryu, he's also training under someone too."

"Really?" The man's eyes widened. "The master is training under someone else too? Meaning that person is much more powerful than the Master Yoh who is the heir to the title of shaman king? Who is that person then?"

Horo Horo, who had recovered from his recent accident, grinned. "Who else, but the shaman king's queen."

Right on cue, they heard the front door open downstairs, and the Anna okami being greeted politely by the maids.  

Anna looked at the package Horo Horo was holding. Behind them, Pirika, Manta, Tamao, Ryu and Yoh watched in interest. 

"So this is what you think the answer to my riddle is, huh?" said Anna, her eyes narrowed.

"Didn't she get any sleep last night?" Ryu whispered to Manta. "Why are her eyes like that?"

He immediately became the recipient of her glare of doom, then she continued to unwrap the package.

A matchbox was revealed.

"Huh? Even with all the matches scattered in the room, it still wouldn't fill the room up," said Manta, puzzled.

"Will you explain why you gave me this?" asked Anna, eyes narrowed at Horo Horo.

"Um…that's because…um…" He turned to his sister. "Um, why don't I let Pirika explain? You know? Since my answer is too, um, complicated for simple minds such as yours. Um, no offense." He gave his sister a shove towards Anna.

"Well, it's like this." She picked up one match stick and rubbed it against the box. It burned, and she lit a candle with it. Soon the whole room was filled with the light of the flame in the candle. 

Yoh's eyes lit up. "Wow, that's so cool! That was really smart of you, Horo Horo!"

Manta looked at his friend, rolling his eyes. "Don't tell me that you believed that he really thought of that?"

"He didn't?" echoed Yoh, surprised.

"Very good, Pirika." Anna looked at Horo, who was grinning sheepishly. "Well, I did ask you to solve it, but I didn't specify that you can't ask for help from others. Therefore, you passed my final test. As long as you have your sister with you, I can count on you not being in trouble with your stupidity."

 "And what do you mean by _that_?" demanded Horo Horo as Tamao snickered.

She turned to her fiancé. "Asakura, you will still continue to train, but not under me anymore."

"What do you mean?" asked Yoh, forehead creased.

"It has been decided by sensei to give the rest of the trainings in your hand."

"What do you mean?"

"It shall be revealed tomorrow." She gazed at him, her face a little concerned. "Do not lose your belief and trust in your ability, and you'll be able to surpass anything."

He was fascinated by her words, and he nodded.

He couldn't wait for tomorrow to come. He had a lot to know the next day.

Hao, standing from the tree top, looked on at the scene inside the Asakura house. He grinned. "Do your best, small brother."

His eyes went to Anna next. The girl who impressed him with her blazing high and mighty spirit, but with eyes still as cold as the underworld itself. She fascinated him.

"But your heart…it's your weakness. What a shame." He smiled, his mind thinking thoughts that only he could decipher. "We will meet again."

**Tsuzuku**

**: : I'm sorry about the slight OOCs in Pirika and Ren's personalities. ^^;; I just like seeing them together.**


	6. 6

I'm currently solving my problems with the site bandwidth of my sites…darn. Can't update the site….

_Also, my inhuman class sked is causing me problems. When I get home from school, I feel too tired to even brainstorm on a fic, so expect that the updates won't be very constant. ^^;;_

"So what did my grandmother say about my training?" asked Yoh as he and Anna ate breakfast together that morning. 

"She told me that you will be leaving for someplace where you can concentrate on your training more, without being disturbed by the outside world." Anna looked up at him for a moment. "What's the matter? You don't look too excited. Only the finest of shamans are invited there."

"I'm worried," he admitted. "I don't know where that place is. Besides, I'll miss you guys."

She blinked, then looked back at her plate. He must mean Horo Horo and the others. "Asakura-sensei told me that the place is referred to as the Best Place. The environment of that location differs, depending on the attitude of its visitors. It is said to be harsh to the people it deems unworthy, but it can give you the power as well to control the Great Spirits, if it considers you strong enough to stand for yourself."

"When will I go?"

"This evening." She looked at his fiancé for a long time before she stood up. "Bear in mind what you always say in our trainings."

"Ouch?" guessed Yoh.

"No. That everything will work itself out." A small smile formed on her face, startling her fiancé. "Besides, shouldn't you look relieved? I won't be there to terrorize you."

Yoh grinned sheepishly. "To tell you the truth, I'm not too comfortable with that thought. I have grown so used to your presence. In fact…" He tilted his head to one side in a boyishly shy manner. "…I think I'll miss you," he said softly.

The smile abruptly left her face. She stood up. "Excuse me. Kino-sensei might need me already."

"So this is goodbye?" he asked.

She faced him briefly. "I think so. We might not see each other this afternoon. I am going to run an errand for Yohmei-sama today."

His eyes saddened. "You take care of yourself, ok?"

"T-That should be my line," she said, bewildered.

He shrugged. "I feel like saying that." He slipped his hands into his pocket. "I want to say that. It feels…good."

"You're weird." She turned her back quickly on him just so he wouldn't see the smile return in her face again. "I'm expecting your return, Asakura Yoh, and I want to see you holding the power promised by the Best Place, understood?"

"And if I don't get it…"

"Come back still, and I'll train you again." _The important thing is…you come back,_ she added in her mind.

"I'll do my best!"

"Don't do your best. Just do it."

"Hey, why do you look like you lost your favorite undies, eh, Tamao?" asked Horo Horo when the maid sadly placed the plate of sandwich before him.

She ignored his crack. "Master Yoh is leaving tonight…and I heard that he's going to a really dangerous place." She hugged herself. "I'm so worried for him!"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Eh, don't worry about that fellow! Everything will turn out fine, you'll see."

"Aren't you his friend?" she snapped. "You're supposed to be worried too!"

"I'm not. Worried, I mean." he said breezily. "If anyone can't do it, Master Yoh can. I've got faith on his ability." He witnessed that when he saw how Yoh mastered the oversoul technique that he studied for eight months in just eight hours.

"B-But what if his ability is not good enough?" she asked.

"Don't you trust him?"

"I-I do, but…"

"Trust has no _but_s," interrupted Horo Horo, eyes serious, "only _I believe_."

Her eyes widened. "Horo Horo…"

"Besides, there's always this nice little thing we call 'luck'." Horo poured himself some tea. "I may be born handsome, but Master Yoh was born lucky, which makes him almost equal to me."

"So Asakura Yoh is heading for the Best Place to summon the powers for the Great Spirits?" asked En Tao, eyes glinting steely. He looked at Ren. "I trust that you can take care of that boy. He's no match for someone like you, a proud descendant of the _real_ shaman king."

The boy looked on the floor. "I shall pulverize him, Father."

"Go and show him what a real shaman king is."

Jun watched as his brother left the house. "Are you going there now?" she asked, as if he was still in front of her. "I can't let you go there alone."

Pailong appeared. "Mistress Jun?"

"Follow him. Make sure that nobody touches him." She crossed her arms behind her. "And make sure he doesn't sense you. He won't be too happy when he learns that I ordered you to look after him."

"As you wish."

"Asakura Yoh…" grumbled Ren. "I will ring the bell of requiem for you." He was walking in the market place – the bustling shops and stalls that lead to the grand Asakura gates. "I had enough being compared to you. Once and for all, I'll show everyone what absurdity it was to appoint his weak clan for such a great task as keeping the King of Spirits."

Bason appeared. "Master, be careful. We were almost caught the last time we went there."

He then remembered the blue-haired girl, and his hand instantly went to the rose hanky that she gave him before. The only one who saw him as a good person. The only one that he didn't have the heart to reject and push away.

That person…that girl…

"What's her name again?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"Young master!" The spirit became alert. "I sense her aura somewhere."

"She's here?" He couldn't explain the sudden excitement in his heart. He tried to rebuke himself. He must not be carried away by his emotions. He was going to make use of her, and to an instrument, he must not get too attached to.

"In the alley over there! She's in danger!"

Pirika slammed on the wall as the street boys, led by the thief who stole her penny yesterday.

"You've got some guts to return to the market," said the leader, smirking evilly. "Didn't you even realize that we might want to take revenge on you, for humiliating me in public yesterday?"

"Even if I wasn't there, you ought to be ashamed, making crimes for a living!" she yelled, sticking her tongue out at him.

He cringed. "You still have the nerve to do that! You know that no one can help you now." He grabbed her jaw. "You'll pay dearly."

"You'll pay dearly too if you don't let her go," said a gravely serious voice. The gang turned to the opening of the alley, but no one was there.

"Up here."

They looked up at the same time, and saw Ren standing on the roof, his eyes piercing them lethally.

"Why? Are you going to save your girlfriend again like what you did yesterday? You can't beat the five of us at the same time!" sneered the leader. But his sneer was short-lived.

Pirika watched in awe as the black and blue bodies of the thugs landed on the ground one after the other within a couple of seconds. She turned to her savior, her eyes twinkling. "A-Arigatou!"

"Stop that!" he snapped.

She flinched.

"Why do you always get into trouble, you little pipsqueak?" he yelled. "What if I didn't happen to pass by here? You could have been raped!"

Her eyes, wide as saucers, looked at him wordlessly.

"Do not invite trouble when you can't handle it!" he reprimanded.

She looked down, lips trembling. She had never been shouted at like that in her entire life. She sniffed, and a sob escaped her throat.

The boy paused.

"W-Why are you so mad at me suddenly?" she whispered. She then broke into tears.

 Ren watched her panickedly, not knowing what to do. He didn't mean to sound so harsh – he was just stressed out by the recent incidents that happened this morning, and now, this girl nearly got raped!

"S-Stop crying!" he barked, then immediately regretted it. The girl wailed louder.

"Speak softly…soothingly," advised Bason.

"I-I don't know how," said the boy helplessly. He knelt beside the girl seated on the ground, face buried in her hands. "Hey…stop crying…" he said, trying his best to sound softer and more soothing this time.

She vehemently shook her head.

He was surprised when he didn't even feel annoyed at her stubbornness. All in his mind was to make her smile again. "C-Come on…I'm not mad at you."

Her cries became softer.

He sighed, relieved. "I'll take you home."

She still shook her head.

"Say sorry!" hissed his power spirit.

"What?!" gasped Ren. "Why should I?"

The girl looked at him, wanting to know who he was talking with.

He felt a tug in his heart when he saw her swollen eyes. "Sorry."

Her eyes lit up. "O-Ok."

"I'll buy you ice cream," he promised.

"OK!"

Bason sweatdropped. "What about Asakura Yoh?"

Ren didn't hear him, because the girl's steady stream of chatter was filling the air again.

"You can buy these prawn crackers tomorrow," said Yohmei as Anna prepared to leave.

"It's alright, Yohmei-sama. Just so you can eat tonight. I know you and Kino-sensei love to munch on these while playing Chinese checkers."

"But Yoh is leaving today."

"Yes, he is."

"Won't you see him off?"

"No need, Yohmei-sensei."

"Maybe you just don't know how to say goodbye to him…because you're afraid that it would be your last farewell, am I right?" asked Yoh's grandfather perceptively.

Her hands holding the money clenched, but she chose not to reply.

She was about to leave when he called her again.

"Your presence will mean a lot to him before he enters that dangerous place. Give him the will to live."

"T-The will…to live…" whispered Anna, her mind occupied.

It was evening already, and as Kino handed Yoh the harusame, Tamao watched, eyes welling up with tears. "Master Yoh…"

"Hey, don't look so down. It's not my funeral today," laughed Yoh.

"Master Yoh…" She sniffed delicately. "Please be careful there…"

He grinned. "Sure! Besides, I told Anna that I'll come back triumphant."

Tamao bit her lip as Horo Horo, who was behind Yoh, looked at the maid sympathetically. Until finally, he handed her a hanky. "Here."

She blinked.

"You look awful, tears and mucus mixing on your face," he said, grinning.

Yoh sweatdropped as Tamao seemed to forget that she was crying. She was busy twisting the arm of Horo Horo.

"Thank you for the wonderful day," said Pirika as she swung the arm of Ren happily. "My brother has not taken me out for ice cream for the longest time!" 

Ren looked at her sideways, surprised by how happy she was when all he did for her was a simple thing. 

"Bye!!!" She waved at him.

"W-Wait! D-Don't go yet!" he cried. "Y-Your name!"

She flashed him a smile. "Pirika. You forgot, didn't you? I already gave it to you….back in the garden."

He looked away. "Ummm…"

She walked towards him and played with the pointed part of his hair. She smiled at him as the breeze blew on her hair. "But I won't forget yours, for it belongs to my knight."

"Knight…" he repeated, mostly to himself.

"I'm sure that when you and onii-chan meet, you two will be the best of friends!"

Ren watched as the girl disappeared into the Asakura Gates. Bason materialized beside him. "What are you planning to do with her?"

"What do you mean?" asked the boy, feigning ignorance.

"She's too kind. Don't use her for your self-serving purposes," pleaded the spirit.

Ren smirked. "She seems close to that Asakura Yoh. She can help me a lot with my plans."

Pailong decided that he had heard enough. He went back to his mistress to report what he had heard.

"Is he gone?" asked Ren.

Bason nodded. "He would report that to your sister, no doubt."

The boy nodded, then looked at the Asakura gates. Now that he had access to the compound, he could start his plan on Yoh now.

But before he could begin to act, the gates opened. He quickly hid in the shadows, and out came a small trail of horses. Leading the pack was Asakura Yohmei, and of course, the future shaman king himself, Asakura Yoh.

Ren brought out his spear. "Get ready, Bason."

"Yes, young master."

"Huh?" Yoh suddenly pulled the reins of the horse he was riding on just as something sliced the air inches away from him.

"What the-" Horo Horo stood in front of his master protectively.

A boy with blue pointed hair appeared at the treetop. "I have come to get the title back from your weak clan, Yoh Asakura."

Yoh was surprised. "Hey, what's your problem? Why are you up there? Can't you climb down so we can talk better?"

"And what's with his hair?" said Horo, rolling his eyes. "You think that point can actually cut something?"

"Hah! Quit fussing on my hair!" The boy pointed his spear to Yoh. "Let's fight."

Yoh grinned apologetically. "Sorry! I'm running late for an appointment. Some other time, maybe?"

"No one refuses Ren Tao!" His spear was about to touch Yoh, but Horo Horo blocked it.

"And no one hurts Asakura Yoh. Over my handsome and dashing dead body!" said Horo.

Ren was furious! No one had ever blocked his attack before!

Horo turned to his master. "You go ahead, Master. I can take care of this."

"You're not going anywhere-" Ren tried to head for Yoh, but the Ainu stepped in front of him.

"If you don't defeat me, you won't have any chance against him," smirked Horo. He turned to his friend again. "See ya around, pal!"

Yoh nodded, then rode away with his grandfather.

Ren tried his oversoul, but to his dismay, Horo Horo was stronger than he thought.

"Wahahahahahahha!" laughed Horo Horo, riding on his skateboard. "You can't even touch me. How else do you expect to defeat my master?"

He was furious…very, very furious. This powered his oversoul more.

"Super Golden Chuuka-zanmai!!!!!!!!!"

Pirika's eyes widened. "Onii-chan…" She dropped her chopsticks on the table.

Tamao looked on, concerned.  "Pirika, what's wrong?"

"Onii-chan!!!" She ran out of the house as Tamao followed her hurriedly.

"That cave over there is where you shall start your training," said Yohmei, pointing to the gaping hole that seemed to lead downwards. "You're on your own, Yoh."

He nodded, then walked slowly towards the cave as his grandfather looked on.

_You can do it, Yoh. You are meant to be the savior, believe me._

Yoh was surprised when he saw a lone figure standing in front of the cave. No, he knew that soft, blond hair dancing in the wind. The billowing red bandanna on her neck. The fitted black skirt. The beads on her creamy skinned wrist. He knew them too well, but he still couldn't believe it.

"Anna?"

She turned to him. "I came to bid you my last good luck."

"I-I thought you were someplace else…"

"I was," she agreed, her face revealing nothing. "But now, I'm here. I am your fiancée, and it's only right that I-" She stopped talking when she saw him smiling. "What?" she asked, irritated.

"Thanks," he said.

"Yohmei-sama told me to come here to give you a last-minute motivation." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Come back here alive, or else, I'll kill you."

Yoh sweatdropped.

"I'm an itako, remember that."

Yoh placed his arms behind his head. "But if I make it back…will you call me by my first name already?"

She nodded slowly.

He walked towards the cave, but then he returned and gave the startled Anna a quick hug before he ran back into the cave.

"Yoh…" Anna felt tears threatening to spill down her cheeks when darkness swallowed the figure.

Ren looked at the almost unmoving body of Horo Horo. The boy sighed, relieved that his opponent finally broke his oversoul. It took him more than three oversoul attacks to take him out.

"You wasted my time," he told the unconscious Horo Horo. "Ah well, once Yoh comes out from that cave, he'll be wishing that he didn't come out in the first place."

"Onii-chan!!!"

Ren's eyes widened.

"Onii-chan, are you al-" Pirika stopped when she saw the paralyzed figure beside her brother's body. Behind her, Tamao sped past her and straight to Horo's side.

Moonlight shone through the dark night skies, revealing the one who harmed her brother.

Ren Tao.

**tsuzuku**


	7. 7

_"So all along, you had just been using me?"_

_"………"_

_"Now that you have nearly killed my brother, are you happy? Are you???" Her voice rose._

_The boy turned his back on her. "Your brother will suffice as a warning to the Asakuras…that the Tao family is ready to take back what really belongs to us." _

"Yeeeeow!!!!"

Pirika's train of thoughts was interrupted by Horo Horo's scream of pure, unadulterated agony, courtesy of Tamao.

"You're worse than that crazy hair-styled guy!" snapped Horo as he blew on his wound that Tamao pressed too hard with a swab of cotton. "If you're going to kill me, say so just so I can prepare my coffin!"

"Funny, getting scared of an alcohol when the wounds you got from your battle is enough to render you invalid all your life!" snapped the maid back. "Are you crazy? You should have retreated if you can't handle him!"

" I _can_ handle him!" Horo crossed his arms. "I just gave the boy some fighting chance…you know, some lenient advantage…but then, he seized his chance and boom!"

"Yeah right," muttered Tamao, rolling her eyes.

"Once I get healed, I'll find that boy. We'll have a rematch, and this time, I won't be so compassionate."

"What if it's the other way around? What if it is he who won't get too compassionate?" asked Tamao.

"Are you saying that I'm going to lose to him? Me, the proud Ainu tribesboy Horo Horo? Kami-sama's gift to the land to spread giggly happiness among admiring girls…" He looked at her, rubbing his jaw. "Are you one of them?"

"Dream on." She pressed her hands together. "My heart is for Master Yoh only."

"He's got a fiancée."

"I know. Ms. Anna, however, is too strict. Master Yoh will get tired of her sooner or later."

"I doubt it," said Horo seriously. "There are girls everywhere and around Master Yoh, but Kyouyama Anna is all of them, in her own kickass way. Master Yoh would not get tired of her presence."

Tamao looked down, eyes shaking. This made the boy rub his head. "Don't look so down," said Horo slowly. "You'll find your man…someday."

"When is that 'someday'?"

He shrugged. "I don't know…maybe tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. Or the days that follow. Perhaps next year, or in your next life. We can't say for sure."

"I can't wait that long!" cried Tamao. "I want a boyfriend already!" She surveyed Horo critically. "Think you fit that bill?"

He choked, then doubled over, laughing.

"I'm serious!!!" she wailed before she could think of what she did.

This made Horo laugh harder.

This annoyed Tamao. "Shut up, or I'll make Ponchi call Ms. Anna to get you started on her post-training exercises!" yelled the maid. The Ainu warrior immediately settled down.

"You don't believe me?" She stood up determinedly. "I'll make you fall in love with me before Master Yoh gets back here."

"Ooh, you really think you can pull that off?" asked Horo, grinning at her under his narrowed eyes. "Let me tell you my records on girls before. Ninety nine percent of it is blemish free. They all lust over me, but they can't touch me."

"Then allow me to be the one percent who doesn't like you." She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "But I'm telling you…I'll still make you fall in love with me." She wasn't thinking of the consequences of what she was saying anymore. All she had in mind was to make the boy eat dust. "You won't stop thinking of me, and you'll keep on dreaming of me, and you'll start seeing me everywhere…"

Horo cupped his chin with his one hand, eyeing her indulgently. "OK, call. You have a week to do that."

Pirika looked on, sighing. Already in their teens, but the two still act like toddlers. She looked out at the window again and remembered the steely glint in the eyes of Ren Tao.

She clenched her fists. _You'll pay for hurting my brother…and for betraying me._

"A love potion?" Kino's eyebrows shot up.

Tamao nodded. "Y-You must help me, Madam. I-I need such concoction badly. P-Please help me make one."

Kino sighed. "I am an itako, not a medicine woman. I do not know any more about potions than you do, I'm afraid."

"You don't know anyone else who can help me?" the girl asked desperately.

The old woman started to think. "Wait…I remember that my old friend knew how to make potions and charms and herbal medicines."

The lass' eyes lit up. "Where can I find her?"

"In the cemetery. She's dead."

Her eyes fell.

"But she had a student…"

Tamao looked beggingly at Anna as the latter sipped her green tea delicately.

"A love potion?" Her bored eyes looked at the pink-haired girl inquiringly. "Are you planning to use it on _my_ Yoh?"

The maid looked down. "N-No. T-This is for Horo Horo." Inwardly, she felt jealous of the person before her. Kyouyama Anna, who doesn't have an ounce of feelings for Asakura Yoh, had the privilege to brand him as hers.

"The blue-haired Ainu loudmouth? What is so fascinating about him?" she asked, a hint of curious amusement in her even voice.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Then why do you need a love potion?"

"Long story." Tamao bowed in front of the itako. "Please, have mercy, Ms. Anna! Please make me a love potion! I promise to do anything you want me to do."

"Get up."

"Huh?"

"You told me that you're going to do anything that I ask you to do, didn't you? Get up."

Tamao did as told.

"Go get the ingredients." Anna took a notepad and started to jot down the needed things.

"T-That's all?" She was anticipating the kind of things that Horo Horo and her master went through.

"Do you want more?"

"O-Of course not!" She hurriedly took the list from the itako and hurried out of the house happily. But not before hearing Anna's last warning.

"Love potions don't always do what they are supposed to do. Instead of bringing people together, they may break people apart, because love is not suppose to be trespassed by anyone or anything."

Tamao nodded and left.

Anna looked down at her tea. She couldn't help but feel that the advice was really meant for herself because she agreed on a binding commitment that was a mere manipulation by her dear old sensei.

Horo Horo rested his back against the door, in deep contemplation. He was walking in the hallway when he heard the conversation between the two girls. 

_So Tamao is going to use a love potion on me, huh?_

_Let's see if even that can help you._

Pirika finished packing the last of her clothes, then zipped her backpack. Kururu went to her, softly crying. She patted the spirit's hair. "Don't worry. I'll be back…as soon as I settle a score with that person. No one gets away with hurting my onii-chan!" She looked at the bed beside her – the unmade bed of her vintage lazy brother. Her eyes saddened. She went to it and fixed it. "Ill miss you, onii-chan, but I have to do this." 

On its perfectly folded blanket, she left her farewell note, then she jumped out of the bedroom window.

Tamao had found the herbs, the honey, and the heart of a pig. Now all she needed to do was to pick up the last ingredient.

A piece of hair from Horo Horo's head.

She put her basket down on the kitchen then went to Ryu who was sweeping the yard dutifully. "Have you seen Horo Horo?"

Ryu turned around furiously. "How many times do I have to tell you not to disturb my special training under Ms. Anna-" He stopped when he saw the scared-looking Tamao. Instantly, he grinned. "Tamao-san! How are you? I thought you were Horo Horo."

"Um…fine?" she squeaked. Ryu sure was scary awhile ago!

"Um…are you doing anything tonight?" asked the man shyly. "How about if we go out on a date tonight, huh? Huh?"

Her face turned warm. "Y-You see…"

"Hey!"

Ryu perked up when he saw Anna standing outside, looking at him lethally. He immediately went back to work,

"Did I just see you stop from your work?" she snapped.

"N-No, Ms. Anna!"

"Good, then continue with your work!" She turned to Tamao. "Horo Horo's asleep in his room already, I think."

"Thanks, Ms. Anna!" Tamao hurried towards the bedrooms.

True to the itako's words, the Ainu boy was already fast asleep, snoring loudly even.

Tamao seized the chance to do what she was supposed to do. She carefully tiptoed into the side of the boy and knelt down. He was still asleep. Cautiously, she leaned down towards him, her trembling hand targeting his hair.

When he suddenly moved and moaned. "Pirika…zat yhou?" he said groggily. He suddenly pulled into his arms the shocked Tamao. "Go to sleep with me," he mumbled, hugging her tighter.

She resisted the urge to gasp, especially when he felt how strong and warm his arms were. She looked up and tried to move her free hand towards his hair, but his arms encircling her tiny waist crushed her closer to him.

"Stop moving and start sleeping," he grumbled, eyes still closed. "I want to sleep already."

Her face hit his chest, and within her, she felt electricity running up and down her spine. She had to get out of here! She wiggled out of his arms determinedly, but nothing happened.

No, something did.

Horo Horo opened his eyes. 

Pirika looked at her map, then at the foot of the mountains. According to the map, the Tao residence was on top of the third cliff of the mountain. She gulped – she never liked heights.

Suddenly, a tall man materialized beside her. "You are Ms. Pirika, I presume?"

She blinked. "How did you know my name?"

"You are expected." With that, the man slapped her nape gently, and the next thing she knew, she was plunged into darkness.

In his dreamy state, Horo Horo thought he could make out the shocked face of Tamao, but he reminded himself that it was impossible for that to happen. He concluded that he was still dreaming.

And since it was all a dream, he could do anything.

Anything.

"Come here." He pulled her back into his arms and straddled her, on his face a lazy grin. "The cutest eyes I have ever seen…and the softest…" He leaned down towards her.

Tamao panicked when she realized what Horo was about to do. She immediately reached for his hair and plucked a strand out.

Kino and Anna blinked when they heard the scream of agony from Horo Horo's bedroom.

"Goodness! I wonder what happened!" exclaimed Kino, eyes wide.

Anna hid an amused smile. She knew that Tamao had succeeded in getting the last ingredient already.

"OUUCCCCH!!!!!" Horo Horo snapped out of his dreamy state. He held on his head, wailing.

Tamao looked down on her hand and noticed that along with the strand she plucked out, several more hair strands went along. She wouldn't be too surprised if Horo's hair roots were uprooted with her pull.

It was his fault! He scared me back there! I thought…I thought… 

"What's the big idea?" he demanded. "Tamao, what are you doing in my bedroom?" He took his blanket and hugged it to his chest, face contorted in horror. "A-Are you going to rape me? Because you are desperate to make me fall in love with you, you're going to use brute force on me? How could you, taking advantage of my vulnerability when I was sleeping?"

Now Tamao wanted to tear _her_ hair out! "It's not that! It's…it's…" She then noticed a note on his pillow. "Hey wait, what's this?"

He looked at the note. "It was written in my sister's handwriting!" He quickly forgot about what just happened and proceeded to read the note nervously.         

Pirika woke up, and the first thing she saw was the unfamiliar drapery of red silkscreen. She got up and noticed that her room looked strange. Everything was done in red and white, done in Chinese motif. 

W-Where am I? 

"Good afternoon, Pirika."

She turned to the source of the voice and saw a tall young woman with green hair and quiet eyes. She was dressed in a Chinese outfit too, designed with panda and dragon in front.

"You are in one of the eighty guestrooms of the Tao mansion," explained the lady stranger. "I am Jun Tao. Welcome to my mansion."

She leaned back, cowering behind the large pillow.

"I won't hurt you," she said. "I will just ask you some questions."

Silence.

"You came for my brother, didn't you?"

"B-Brother?"

"You came for Ren Tao's life, didn't you?"

"What did the note say?" asked Tamao.

Horo slowly lifted his eyes up to meet hers. "She said…" His voice was barely above a whisper.

"What?" she asked nervously.

"…she 'll be out shopping downtown and would not be back for awhile!!!" Horo Horo cheered happily. "Yes!!! Yes!!!"

Tamao frowned. "You believe that it will take her days to go shopping?"

"My sister is a freak," he said as if it would explain everything.

"That must run in the family, eh?" she muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing." She got up and out of the room when he called her again.

"What is it?" she asked, forehead creasing.

"I nearly forgot! I'm going to file a charge against you! Attempted rape!"

Tamao left the room, face burning as Ryu looked at her curiously. 

"He hurt my onii-chan…" whispered Pirika.

"Are you aware that you are no match against someone as powerful as my brother?" asked Jun, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Y-Yes."

"And you still insist to push through with your plan?"

"Yes."

"Then let me help you." Jun  stood up and offered her hand. "I will help you. I will train you."

Hao sat on the treetop, observing Anna from afar. Suddenly, a priest appeared beside him.

"I don't see the point in getting yourself all worked out about a girl," commented the newcomer.

"Well, she's not just any girl. She will be the bride of the Shaman King." Hao smiled. "Zinc, I think I found another reason why I should be the bearer of that title."

"What is so amazing about that mortal?"

He smiled some more. "Words can't say the things I find delightful about her."

"So what are you planning to do? She is your brother's fiancée."

"Then I guess it's time to assert my privileges as the older brother, don't you think so?"

**tsuzuku**


	8. 8

Horo Horo watched the two girls from behind a door as the itako stirred something together under the steady fire.

He couldn't wait for the love potion to be finished. He was starting to get curious about it – whether it will have an effect on him or not.

"So this is it," said Anna as she handed Tamao a cup of the just finished concoction. "Just make the Ainu tribe boy drink half of this and he will be yours for one week."

"Thank you, Ms. Anna." She bowed gratefully, then looked at the dark violet mixture, pondering on how she could make Horo Horo drink it without him suspecting anything.

Just then, Horo Horo jogged into the kitchen. "Whew! Boy, I'm thirsty!" He immediately took the liquid from Tamao's hands and took it in with one gulp, to the maid's shock.

"Thanks! See ya!" Horo jogged out of the kitchen.

Tamao looked at the half-empty cup. "That wasn't so hard."

Anna, on the other hand, looked at the door Horo went out of awhile ago. That was too easy, and if something was too much, there must be something wrong with it.

Ren was walking down the grand staircase of the Tao mansion – he had just been reprimanded by his father for allowing Yoh to reach as far as the cave – when he could hear some female voices coming from the garden.

He recognized his sister's, but the other one…

It couldn't be!

But it could only belong to one girl.

"Your sword must fall straightly. Your arm must not fold up. The air must still be intact when you deal the blow on your opponent."

Pirika could feel sweat drip down her neck, but she didn't dare break her stance just to wipe it. She was concentrating on what Jun was telling her to do.

"Keep that posture up! Very good, Pirika! Show him how determined you are to defeat him!" shouted Jun, turning to the staircase where Ren was standing.

She looked up and saw him looking straight down at her.

Ren was shocked – first, because he didn't expect the blue-haired girl to be in his place. Secondly, because Jun was with Pirika, as if they knew each other already. Finally, because of his sister's last statement – that Pirika was determined to defeat him.

He was rendered speechless when she paused from her sword training and pointed her bamboo sword at his direction. "Hey you, Ren Tao! You won't get off the hook easily! You will have a taste of your own medicine! I promise that! I'll defeat you too, the way you did to my brother!" Her eyes welled up with tears. "Because of you…m-my brother…he had to undergo such beatings…" Her eyes blazed. "Whatever did he do to you anyway?"

He looked away. No, why should he tell her the guilt he immediately felt when he saw those asking eyes of hers when she saw him beside that boy's body last night? Why should he tell her how he berated himself the whole night? To the point that even he had questioned whether what he just did was right?

She wouldn't understand anyway. So all that was left to do was to keep his masquerade on. "Anyone related to the Asakura clan, directly or not, shall pass under the blade of my spear."

"I'm ready!" she shot back.

He eyed her for a few more minutes, and she bravely met his gaze. He looked away first. "Do whatever you want." He left the stair case hurriedly.

Jun watched the word exchange quietly, and there and then she decided that she didn't do a bad move by bringing the girl here. 

Tamao crossed her hands together nervously as she waited for Horo Horo to return from his routine 50 km jog. She wanted to know if the potion took any effect on him.

She vaguely heard Ryu talking with someone outside, but she couldn't care less. The prime minister of Japan may be outside riverdancing, and she still wouldn't care!

"I'll go get you something to drink," said Ryu as he let in the visitor. "You came all the way from London just for my master?"

Tamao peeped into the living room and found the tall man entertaining a much smaller boy with green hair and trenchcoat.

"I'll be right back." Ryu entered the kitchen.

The boy's eyes roved around the house until he caught the glimpse of pink hair. "Huh?" He went towards it and found Tamao rushing out of the room. "H-Hey! Don't let me scare you! I'm harmless, honest!"

She paused and turned to him uncertainly.

He smiled. "My name is Lyserg Diethyl. I'm studying the nature of shamans, particularly on the role that they play in connecting the world of the living with the world of the spirits."

Her eyes turned defensive. "And you said you came here for Master Yoh? I won't let you hurt him!"

He held his hands up in surrender. "N-No, I won't hurt anyone here. I-In fact, I'm a dowser."  

"D-Dowser?"

"I use metals or pendulums to detect objects." He smiled and offered his hand. "Now, can we be friends, young miss?"

"I still don't see why a dowser should be interested in a shaman," said a voice loudly from behind. Tamao and Lyserg turned to see Horo Horo who just came back from his jogging. To her utter shock, he placed his arm possessively around her shoulders. "And why a dowser should be interested with _my_ girl."

She nudged his ribs. "Hands off me!"

"Hey!" he complained.

Lyserg grinned. "No, don't worry, my friend. I will limit my interests on shamans."

Horo nodded. "So why do you need to study Master Yoh?"

"I heard that he will be the heir to the title of shaman king, so I seek his words on some questions…"

"Why don't I answer it for him?" offered the Ainu.

"No, thank you. I would prefer the shaman king's answer." Lyserg bowed. "But thanks for the offer anyway."

Horo looked at him for a few more moments then grinned. "Why don't _you_ answer your own questions?"

"What?"

"You're a shaman too, aren't you?" Horo looked at him knowingly. "And you came here not to just interview Master Yoh. You have other plans."

Lyserg paused, then smiled sheepishly. "By golly, you're right. You guessed way ahead! I hate it when people spoil surprises."

Horo's eyes turned alert. "Tamao!" He instantly stepped in front of her protectively and used his back to shield her from the sudden explosion Lyserg caused.

The next thing Horo Horo knew was that he woke up inside his bedroom, Tamao and Yohmei beside him. "W-What happened?" he asked groggily.

"You lost consciousness due to the impact of the close-range explosion. You were able to oversoul just in time," informed Yoh's grandfather.

"W-Where's that guy now?" he asked.

"Lyserg suddenly disappeared," said Tamao, face covered by her pink hair. "When the smoke cleared…I…I didn't see him anymore."

"I wonder why he's so intent on meeting Master Yoh…" wondered Horo.

Yohmei stood up. "I'll just go and get your medicines."

Tamao and Horo Horo were left in the room alone.

"Thanks for saving me," she said suddenly, her face turning as colorful as her hair.

He was amused by her looks. "You look good when you blush."

She looked up, blinking. _ The love potion is starting to take effect! So that means…when he saved me… it was only because of the potion!_

"Which can only mean that I smashed my head too much; I'm starting to see things," he said, grinning.

He was promptly pummeled by the blushing Tamao.

Anna stood up after her session with Kino.

"Where are you going?" the elder itako wanted to know.

"Downtown," she said, eyes on the floor.

"My grandson…I wonder if he'll still make it out of that cave," said the old woman thoughtfully. "I…I lost my first love in that cave. He was such a daring and bold shaman…he was full of confidence."

Anna merely listened, uncommenting.

"But I wasn't as calm as you back then," she continued narrating. "My life would have been plunged into infinite darkness if not for Yoh's grandfather, who turned out to be heir for the title of shaman king. But he was very much like Yoh, careless and happy-go-lucky." A nostalgic smile spread across the old woman's face. "But like a magician, he brought me back to life." She then turned to Anna. "Yoh may not be exactly the best character you expect to handle the Great Spirits, but his warm and caring nature, plus his strong, unfazed heart…he would undoubtedly become the redeeming Shaman King that the world has waited for."

"I agree," she said silently.

"Has Yoh worked his magic on you already?"

She was caught off-guard by the question.

The old woman smiled. "The Asakura men are incredible magicians."

To her dismay, she felt colors rise to her cheeks. "Excuse me," she mumbled as she retreated away quickly,

Yohmei brought out pieces of parchments and rolled them on the floor as Tamao and Horo Horo looked at them curiously.

"I found out that there is really a Lyserg Diethyl in town, and he's staying in one of the onsen hotels here. He is a dowser, alright, but he's interested in one of the legends of the Asakura clan," explained Yohmei.

"Which is?" prompted Tamao.

"The legend of King Yohmei and the Knights of the Rectangular Tatami?" guessed Horo.

The old man hit the boy servant with his slipper. "No, you stupid moron! I'm talking about Asakura Hao, the legendary destroyer!"

"What?" Horo Horo's forehead creased. "He's part of your family, Master Yohmei? How come I haven't met him yet?"

Tamao knocked his head. "That's because he's only a legend."

"Five hundred years ago, he lived as an heir to the shaman king throne too, but the Great Spirits refused him, for his heart and thoughts were impure. This shaman was enraged, and he studied the forbidden branches of shaman knowledge, and one of these is reincarnation. He vowed to take back the title after 500 years."

"So he's going to kill…Master Yoh?" whispered Tamao.

The old man nodded grimly.

"No way…" mumbled Horo Horo, shaking his head.

Anna stood in front of the cave where Yoh came in yesterday. She clenched her fists when she didn't hear any sign of life inside.

"He won't be back anytime soon," said a voice from somewhere.

She didn't bother to turn around. "What do you want?"

Hao appeared from behind and joined her. "If I tell you that I want you, would you give me what I want?"

Her eyes, emotionless like a wall, turned to him. "Do you want me to answer that?"

"No, I don't think so," he laughed. "But I can give you what you want. A good life, isn't it?"

"Yes, and I want to be the mistress of an onsen hotel." She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"I can give you all of those," he said, smiling.

"I know you can," she said. "But I don't care."

"And you care for my little brother, is that it?"

"I never said anything like that," she said coolly.

"You don't have to," he said, grinning. "Your heart can say it out loud."

"Your colorful interpretations of my heart's supposedly speeches amuse me, but I'm afraid you're mistaken." Her eyes gave nothing away. "Love isn't for someone like me."

"Then I guess we're compatible." He knelt and brought her free hand to his lips. "Asakura Hao is my name."

Her eyes widened. 

He stood up. "Asakura Kino must have told you a lot of tales about me, I presume."

She withdrew her hand from his. "They're not exactly the most glowing tales though."

"Perfectly understandable. They hated me because they are inferior compared to me."

"Wrong," she said evenly. "They hated you because you are evil."

"Who are you to judge what is good and what is evil?" he asked sharply, although the smile remained pasted on his face. "Humans are the real evil in this world. They are the flaws and obstructions in preserving the immutable goodness of the world. They must perish, in order to renew and rejuvenate the face of the earth. I will be the savior."

"Some savior you are," she said sarcastically. "A savior who saves the world by mass execution."

His hand slipped up to her face, caressing her skin. "What is a few thousand lives sacrificed in the name of a new and better world for mankind?"

"You're crazy."

"I am enlightened." He smiled. "I can see that you hate people too. I can see that once upon a time, you had been ostracized and hated too, because you are an itako. Don't you want those ignorant people to suffer in front of your eyes?"

"I'll only stoop as low as them if I do that," she said frostily. She slapped his hand away. "I do not know why you are so interested with me, but let me tell you this: I would never fall into your hands."

"I know a challenge when I hear one." Hao bowed. "Kyouyama Anna, I will make you mine." He tried to inch closer to her, but Amidamaru appeared beside her, ready to defend his master's lady.

Hao chuckled. "Ah, my brother's power spirit. I should advise you to work harder, samurai spirit. You shall be acquainted with my Spirit of Fire soon enough." He bowed at Anna and disappeared in the forest.

"Ma'am Anna, are you alright?" asked Amidamaru quickly when he saw her lean on the bark of the tree shakily. "I'm sorry. I should have come sooner."

She didn't answer. Instead, she turned to the cave. _Yoh, please come back already._

Tamao sat alone in front of her board, predicting.

"Master Yoh will come back tomorrow evening." Her eyes lit up, then widened.

"Oh my god! I only have up to tomorrow night to make Horo fall in love with me!" 

Ren and Bason watched as Pirika continued her training under the guidance of the moonlight.

"She really is…determined to kill me," Ren found himself telling his main spirit. "What did my sister do now? What is she trying to prove? I know that I can never hurt that girl…not in a million years." He shook his head. "If I've only known earlier that he was her brother, I would not have…I would not have…"

Bason could only gaze at his master in wonder. Ever since he met that girl, he had changed so dramatically.

_Because Pirika treated her like a good friend, and it melted his heart._

All his life, Ren Tao had only seen hatred and violence. Bitterness and rage over the Asakura clan. Pain and suffering.

And in a short span of time, the girl showed him that there is another side of life where people do not need to hate or to feel bitter or be pained.

All that is needed is to be happy.

And the spirit knew that Ren Tao became happy when he met her.

_Fate is really cruel. Why did everything have to end like this? Now that he finally understood what happiness is…_

Ren was speaking again. "I will finish Asakura Yoh, then I'll free myself from my obligations to the family, then I'll beg for her forgiveness."

In a softer voice, he continued, "And I'll offer myself too, if she would have me back."

"Waaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!" Tamao screamed in the kitchen.

Anna and Kino looked up as the maid freaked out. "What is it, Tamao?" asked the elder mistress.

"Who drank my love potion?!!!" she cried as she showed them the empty bottle.

"Love potion?" echoed Yohmei and Horo Horo. The latter hid a smirk.

Tamao felt her face heat up. "U-Uh…."

"The violet liquid?" asked Yoh's grandfather. "I recall that Horo Horo offered Ryu grape juice and…"

"Tamao!!!!! My love!!!!!!!!!" cried Ryu of the Wooden Sword, entering the house. "I've come to give you the biggest smooch of your life, dearieeeee!!!!!!"

"Waaaaahhhhh!!!!!" Tamao tried to hide behind Kino and Anna as Ryu tried to chase her. Horo Horo, on the other hand, laughed his heart out.

Lyserg jotted something in his notepad. Behind him, a little girl looked over his shoulders, trying to read what he just wrote down.

"Millie," he said, smiling. "Sharon and the others would scold me again for keeping you here."

She shook her head firmly. "Uh-uh. I'll stay right here."

"But you cleaning up my room and cooking my meals…" He smiled. "I'm bothering you enough."

"No! It's my pleasure doing that!" she insisted, blushing. "I like serving Lyserg-kun!"

He sighed. He met Millie back in the airport, when he found her crying in the middle of the crowd, wailing that she was lost. It was only he who had the concern to page her company. Before Sharon and her friends found her, he had already taken her out to dine and toured her around the place. By that time, she was already smitten with him, and had refused to leave his side. Her friends had no choice but to tag along with him in his trip to Japan just so Millie wouldn't go on a tantrum. 

"What are you writing?" she asked shyly.

He looked at his notes. "I'm preparing for someone's funeral."

Her eyes widened.

His grip on his quill pen tightened. "Asakura Hao's."

**tsuzuku**


	9. 9

_Folks, before you proceed to the chapter, let me stress that this chapter will be dedicated solely to Horo/Tamao. In case you guys don't find non-canon couples appealing, please await the 10th chapter. ^^ This won't be very long, and this won't have much bearing to the flow of the story. This is like a tribute to that unconventional couple. In short, reading this will be a waste of time. Lolz_

_--- public service brought to you by Syao-chan ---_

Horo Horo fluffed his pillow for the nth time and tried to shut his eyes, but apparently, slumber has decided to not visit him for the night. Instead, he was preoccupied by the thoughts of a certain person.

If only Pirika was here, then he wouldn't have the time to think about her. But in the deafening silence of his bedroom, he could clearly hear only one voice. Her high-pitched but still very sweet voice.

He accidentally saw the old oak tree that he used to climb when he was a child. Almost all bruises he got were acquired in that place. But he loved the place still, for it was a dwelling place for sweet childhood memories.

The same memories flooded his mind.

"Get down from there!" screamed six year old Tamao to the seven year old Horo Horo, who was swinging on the branches of the old tree that night. "I'll tell Master Yohmei that you're killing his tree!"

_"Hah! Tattletale!" he yelled. "You just don't know how to climb this, that's why you're acting like that!"_

_"Maybe so, but at least I'm not doing something wrong!" She crossed her arms thoughtfully. "How does Master Yoh stand your attitude anyway?"_

_"You wouldn't understand," he said knowingly. "It's a boy thing."_

_"Is that so?" She stomped her feet on the ground. "I'm telling Master Yohmei that you're the one who's murdering his plants! T-Then you'll get spanked, and you'll-"_

_"Try doing that and I'll run you over!" he threatened back, showing her his skateboard proudly._

_Her eyes welled up with fresh tears. "Y-You are so mean…why can't you be like Master Yoh? He's so kind…"_

_"Master Yoh, Master Yoh, Master Yoh. Is that all what you know to say?" he snapped. I'm sick and tired of hearing his name from you over and over!"_

_"That's because he's not mean like you."_

_"I'm not mean! You are!" he burst out before running away. He then paused and returned, handing Tamao a bottle. "Here."_

_She looked down at the jar with glowing fireflies inside. Her eyes widened in delight, then returned to him, puzzled._

_"These are pretty to look at when you put them someplace really dark," he said not looking at her. "They only come out at night near big trees, so I needed to go here to get them."_

_"I-It's not my birthday, right?" she said slowly._

_"I never said it was," he barked, glad that it was dark, and enough to hide his blush. "If you don't like them, I'll set them free."_

_"No, I do want them!" she cried._

_"Take it then." Horo turned his back on her and continued to run away._

Horo snapped out from his trance when the door of his bedroom opened, revealing a Tamao dressed in her pajamas, clutching her pillow. She looked at him uncertainly. "A-Am I disturbing you?"

"You already did," he snickered. "You might as well make the most out of it."

She shut the door shyly. "W-Well…I want to ask if…if I can sleep here with you."

To say he was shocked was an understatement. Why would Tamao sleep in his room?

She answered his unvoiced question.  "Ryu is outside my room, waiting for me. There are no other guestrooms available, and I'm too shy to disturb the others who might be sleeping already…."

"So you ran to me?" he asked, pleased that she came to him immediately.

"Well, it _is_ your fault why Ryu is suddenly chasing me around," she said, hands on her hips.

He shrugged. "Well, if you didn't make a love potion-"

Her pillow slammed on his face. "Shut up!" she wailed, her face flushed. "How should I know that you know already that it is a love potion!"

"Meeeeh?" He gestured to himself innocently.

"Yes, _you_! Ms. Anna said that she sensed that you know about the potion that's why you gave Ryu some of it."

He laughed. "Well, Ryu was thirsty."

"Nevertheless, you should have told me earlier, so I wouldn't look like a fool," she said.

"You were cheating," he reminded her. "Love potion is not part of the one week operation you dared to undertake. You have to make me fall in love with you in the most natural way!"

"Hmp! Did you really drink the potion?" she asked curiously.

He grinned and nodded. "You saw me. I drank it."

"B-But why is it not affecting you?" she asked.

"Don't ask me," he said, shrugging. His eyes averted hers. "Let's go to sleep."

Tamao was about to lie down Pirika's bed when he called her.

"Don't try anything funny, Tamao. If you try to rape me again-"

Her pillow found its way to Horo Horo's face again.

Ten minutes later, Horo Horo realized that it was harder for him to sleep. He looked at the girl near him then sighed. "Tamao? Still awake?"

He heard a muffled yes.

He looked at the ceiling. "I think it's one of those nights when amnesia suddenly attacks me."

"It's insomnia," she corrected.

"Amnesia, insomnia. Who cares, as long as the both end in –sia?" Horo turned to face her, whose back was facing him. "Let's chat."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Anything. Like…when is Master Yoh coming back?"

"Tomorrow evening. However, I can't go there to meet him. I'm too shy to ask Master Yohmei if I can tag along when I meet him. Ms. Anna, more so."

"Then you'll just have to wait for him here."

"Yeah."

Horo cleared his throat. "M-Maybe you should give Master Yoh up already."

He heard her sigh.

"He doesn't really know how much you love him," he continued slowly. "W-Why don't you just save that love for someone who'll appreciate it."

"Easier said than done," she said, sighing deeply again. "All my life, I had loved him from afar…"

"That's because all you see is Master Yoh. You don't pay attention to the other people around you."

"What are you talking about? There are no other people!" She turned to him, eyes glistening with tears. "Who would fall in love with me? A mere trying-hard prophetess. I'm not even as strong and as calm as Ms. Anna, or as wise as Madam Kino. I'm not as brave as your sister. And I even had to resort to love potions just so one man could fall in love with me. Who would love me then?"

"Tamao…" He clenched his fists. "Stop crying, you idiot!"

She flinched.

"You know what, the only thing I want to do now is to give you my sight, just so you can see how truly special you are!" he yelled.

A tear streaked down her cheek. "Horo Horo…"

"You may not be like those said people, and sometimes you may be hopeless, but that's because you are you. I…we love you for who you are." Horo Horo smiled at her. "Tamao, you're really special. You're kind, although you're not kind to me," he said ruefully. "But that's beside the fact. You are lovable in your own way, so…so… " He blushed faintly. "Master Yoh is too dense sometimes, but you must not think that it's the end of the world. There are other people that love you, if you will only look around."

She sniffed. "You're nice…that sounds good…Are you sure you're Horo Horo?"

"Yup, the one and only."

"Thanks. If you're always like this…you can make any girl fall for you."

He merely smiled at her, but inside, he felt his heart race. "Go to sleep, Tamao. You need it."

"Yes."

Horo Horo looked out at the window, and he remembered something again.

"Master Yoh, do you know that Tamao has a crush on you?" he found himself asking his master.

_Yoh put his arms behind his head. "Does she know that you have a crush on her?"_

_He averted his gaze. "She wouldn't be too happy when she learns that."_

_"Why?" he asked earnestly._

_"Because," he said simply, as if that single word was the source of reason for existence itself._

_Yoh looked amused. "People are happy when loved."_

_"Not Tamao," he insisted. "She wouldn't want to know that she is loved by me. She doesn't like me at all."_

_"Why do you bully her so much anyway?" his master wanted to know._

_"Because that's the only way I can think of getting her attention from you," he admitted candidly. "That's the only way I can show how much I care for her. And she wouldn't understand, even if I say it now."_

_"There is always tomorrow," said Yoh encouragingly. "Don't worry, Horo Horo. Things will work out by themselves. You'll eventually have the guts to tell her what you feel someday…and I'm sure that when that time comes, she will finally understand."_

 

He looked back at Tamao, who was fast asleep already. He crawled towards her and tucked her in, blanketing her.

"The love potion didn't work," he said to the sleeping girl. "Because I had been loving you since long ago." He leaned down on her and planted a light kiss on her hair, then crawled back to his bed.

**Tsuzuku**

_Anna-Yoh chapter coming up soon!_


	10. 10

Finally, the day that the Asakura household has waited for has arrived – the day the young master Yoh would return home.

As Kino and the maids busied themselves in preparing a feast for his return, Anna calmly continued with her meditation sessions. And of course, her torturing sessions, with Horo Horo, Manta, and Ryu as the victims.

Tamao looked on as Anna made the three scrub the stairs leading to the family temple. Anna was seated on the bench, reading her favorite magazine, as if it was just an ordinary day like the others.

Horo noticed the maid first. He waved his hand. "Tamao!"

"Well, you don't expect Ms. Anna to go around jumping with joy today," said Horo after Tamao told him her observation.

"But she would at least get a little excited," said the maid. "Master Yoh is her fiancé."

Manta nodded in agreement. "She should go to a parlor or something, and make herself pretty. It's been quite a while since she last saw Yoh-kun."

Anna looked up from her reading, an eyebrow shot up. "I heard what you said, water meat bun. If you don't start working again, I'll drag you into a _funeral_ parlor." Her gaze went back to her reading material.

"She's a hopeless case," sighed Manta.

"No, she's not," said Ryu gently as he continued scrubbing. The love potion had already worn off, thankfully. "She cares for Master Yoh…a lot, in fact."

"Hmm?" Horo raised his brows. "How can you say that?"

"I can tell," he said simply.

"Um, really helpful," said the Ainu boy. He looked at the itako. "As far as I can see, the only thing she gets excited about is that magazine." He looked at the cover. "Ten ways to banish a courting spirit. Yoga exercises for overweight spirits. How flirt a spirit are you. What to do when a spirit is in love with a living human. Fall Fashion for the Dead."

Irritated that she was always the topic of their conversation, Anna left.

Amidamaru appeared. "You guys don't just know how fiercely devoted Ma'am Anna is to Master Yoh."

Horo rubbed his head. "I cannot imagine, for the life of me."

The samurai's forehead creased as he recalled the incident by the cave yesterday. The character he met was certainly powerfully daunting, enough to intimidate even Kyouyama Anna. Once his master returns, he would tell him about that boy.

But what the spirit couldn't understand was why that stranger seemed so interested with Anna. Ah, he must tell his master that too.

Ren knelt down beside Pirika, who fell asleep on the yard where she trained all night. He lifted her and carried her into a piggyback quietly as Bason followed him into the mansion.

The boy peeked at the sleeping girl behind his shoulder. She was softly snoring, her warm breath tickling his neck. He smiled and turned his sight back ahead.

"Bason, I never would have imagined that merely looking at someone can cause me so much happiness, even more than all that I get when I finish a tough foe," he confided. His eyes clouded. "If only I can take back what happened that fateful night…"

"Stop blaming yourself, young master," pleaded Bason.

"She hates me," he said softly. "In turn, I hate myself even more."

"Everything that she makes me feel right now…it's all strange and new. I had never felt this happy, or this guilty, or this scared."

"Scared?" asked the power spirit.

"I'm scared of what I'm feeling right now." Ren looked on ahead. "My father taught me that weaklings have no place in this world. But those times I protected her…and when she called me her knight…it felt so good."

He sighed. "Now I think my father is wrong. I now believe that the defenseless must be protected…" His gaze returned to the angelic face of Pirika. A smile blossomed in his weary face again. "Because the thought of protecting the weak can be your source of unlimited strength, just like what I'm feeling right now."

"I tried to convince myself that I was just using her as an instrument in my plans against the Asakura clan, but I just can't believe that lie."

Bason smiled and smoothed the hair of the sleeping girl. "Master, when you feel it is right, you must not be scared. More or less, your heart is the one dictating so, and if it is your heart speaking, you must listen. The heart is the mouthpiece of Kami-sama."

"I don't believe in divine interventions," he said.

"You met this girl in the most unlikeliest situation. What else do you want to see to believe in it?"

Ren was silenced.

"Whenever you look at her, all the traces of the hateful and dark Ren Tao disappear. It's beyond magic…it's a miracle. All those years your father spent in building that icy wall around your heart…they melt with her warmth." Bason smiled. "Isn't that enough a proof for you?"

He shrugged. "When she forgives me…that's the only time I'll believe."

"Tamao!" called Horo Horo excitedly.

The maid looked up. "What is it?" She prepared herself mentally for the tricks that the Ainu joker might pull on her.

Instead, he just grinned. "What I'm going to tell you will make you so happy that you might even kiss me."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah? OK then, rock my world."

"I made Master Yohmei agree to take you with him and Anna when they meet Master Yoh!" he announced.

Her eyes widened, then looked at him, asking if he was serious. When he nodded, she threw her arms around him happily. "Ah, Horo! Arigatou!!! Domo arigatou!!! You made me so very happy!"

"I know," he agreed, and she didn't see his eyes sadden.

She pulled away from him when she remembered who she was hugging, but she didn't let go of his hands. "You may sometimes be an annoying jerk who lives to exasperate me, but guess what, you can actually be very cool."

"Yeah." He forced a grand smile. "I know that you'll say that. I'm just glad you're happy."

She frowned. "You sound different."

He turned his back on her. "You're imagining things. Well, I gotta go. Anna will kick my arse if I don't get back to my post-training exercises." He started to run off, then turned to her again. "Tamao, you owe me a kiss."

Thinking he was kidding, she nodded cheerfully.

Lyserg put his coat on. He heard that Asakura Yoh would be returning that evening, so he would be waiting by the Asakura gates to see the future shaman king himself.

"Prince Lyserg!" called Millie cheerfully as she brought him a cup of coffee. "Good morning!"

He smiled. "Thank you for your thoughtfulness." He sipped his coffee. "Hmm…very good. Your future husband would love you even more because you make great dishes and drinks."

She blushed, then sat down beside him, laying her head on his shoulder. "You will leave again, Prince Lyserg?"

He couldn't help but chuckle at the latest nickname that the lass made up for him. Last night, when he was telling her the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty, Millie had decided that he was as dashing as the prince charming in the story; thus, she started calling him 'Prince Lyserg'. 

"I'll be gone for the whole day,' he confirmed.

"Can't I come with you? I promise to be a good girl," she said, raising her right hand.

He messed her hair fondly. "I know you are a good girl, but you see…"

"You would just be a bother," interrupted Ellie. "The place where he will be going is strictly for boys only."

"I can disguise," the little girl offered quickly.

"No, you can't," said Lyserg. "You are too cute to be a boy. They'll find out immediately."

Millie's face turned pink with his compliment. "OK," she said softly. "I'll make you a good dinner then, and I'll wait for you."

He nodded. "That's my girl." He knelt in front of her and kissed her on the forehead lightly. "Take care of Morphine."

"Yes!" she agreed eagerly. "Ja, Prince Lyserg! Take care!"

He smiled and left the room.

The smile immediately left his face when he saw a tall man dressed in a priest' clothes, standing by the reception desk of the hotel.

"Hao-sama sends you and the X-Laws a message: that the Gates of Babylon shall erode when Asakura Yoh comes out of the Best Place."

Lyserg clenched his fists. "The Gates of Babylon are stronger than he thinks."

"We shall see who's right." The priest walked away.

"Send Hao my own message too – that I would personally erase his existence, so he mustn't be too cocky." Lyserg crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Zinc nodded and disappeared from the sliding doors of the hotel.

He inhaled shakily, then calmly made his way out of the hotel too, more determined than ever to see the future shaman king.

Horo Horo was practicing his oversoul repeatedly in the bamboo-covered area of the Asakura yard.

That is how Manta saw the Ainu boy that late afternoon. "Horo Horo!"

He stopped. "Manta?"

"So why are you training when Anna is not forcing you to do so?" asked the small boy curiously.

"I…I need something to do," said Horo, averting his eyes.

"Why don't you just wait for him in the house? Yoh-kun will be home in just a few more hours."

He hugged his skateboard. "Maybe later."

Realization dawned on the dwarf's eyes, but he continued to interrogate Horo innocently. "Besides, don't you want to see Tamao and the others off?" he asked.

Horo Horo placed his arms behind his head and lied on the grassy field. "They're grown-ups already. They can walk without my help."

"Yeah."

Silence.

"Well, I better go back to my practice." Horo jumped up from his position. "Just tell Tamao to take care on her way and greet Master Yoh for me." 

Manta stood up too. "Will do." He raised a brow as Horo fused Kururu into his skateboard. "By the way, by any chance, do you have any feelings for Tamao?"

Horo, who was going up on his skateboard, fell down.

"Let's go," said Yohmei as Kino handed him his coat. Anna secured her bandanna on her neck and glanced at Tamao, who looked excited to see Yoh again.

"Take care!" said Ryu, waving his arm.

The maid frowned. "I don't seem to see Horo Horo anywhere."

Manta grinned. "He had a little accident with his skateboard, so he won't be able to see you guys off."

Anna rolled her eyes. "What a klutz."

Tamao couldn't figure out why she suddenly forgot her excitement about seeing her master, and was replaced by worry about Horo Horo's condition.

"Well, he did tell us that he won't be coming with us anymore," said Yohmei, turning to Tamao. "He instead asked us to bring you along, since only three people can enter the Asakura forest safely."

"H-He did that?" whispered Tamao, eyes wide. _I know that he misses Master Yoh almost as much as I do, but still he gave his place to me!_

"Don't worry. We'll look after Horo," said Manta.

"Bye!" waved everyone in the house as the three left the gates.

As the three walked quietly, Yohmei suddenly spoke up. "Tamao, your mind is flying off to somewhere."

"H-Huh?" She blinked, then shook her head vehemently. "N-No! I was just…thinking. I'm excited to see Master Yoh again!"

Anna eyed the maid discreetly.

Soon, they were standing in front of the other end of the cave – it is where Yoh would come out.

Anna looked at Tamao, who was playing with the grass underneath her feet. "If you really are worried about him, why don't you go to him?" she said suddenly.

The maid looked up. "M-Master Yoh would come out sooner or later."

"I'm not talking about my Yoh." The itako crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I'm talking about the person in your mind right now."

"Horo Horo?" she said almost instantly, then covered her mouth with her hand.

Anna allowed a small smile on her face. "Yes, him."

Tamao looked down again, face a mixture of emotions. "I'm worried about his accident…"

"Yes, you are," she agreed. "So if you're thinking of him, why are you here?"

"He did so much for me, because he knew that I wanted to come with you guys desperately," she admitted. "So I want to make the most out of it."

"Do you want that?" the itako asked.

She paused.

"Why don't you go back and see him? That is where you really want to be right now, isn't it?" asked Anna.

She nodded shyly.

"Go then." Anna turned to the cave. "I'll tell Yoh that you came here." She took off her bandanna and handed it to her. "Use this. It's cold." 

Her eyes shook. "Thank you, Ms. Anna." _I was wrong when I thought she was a sadist…no, she's also like us who cares, but she just isn't demonstrative._

She made an about face and rushed out of the forest.

"She left already, huh," said Horo as he looked up at the ceiling. He was lying down on his bed on his stomach as Manta helpfully massaged his back. "Did she look happy?"

She didn't, but so as not to worry the Ainu boy, Manta nodded. 

"I'm glad," said Horo Horo truthfully.

"You have feelings for her…but you are pushing her towards another boy," said Manta. "I don't understand…"

"You will, when you meet that someone you will love with your everything," said Horo. 

"Tell me about it," said Manta, peeking at the door.

"When you love someone, you would only want her happiness. When she's happy, you're happy too. Even if it hurts here," Horo slightly raised himself to show Manta that he was pointing to his heart, "if it will make her happy, you'll endure the pain and do it." He laid himself down again. "You'll do everything for the woman you love."

He stopped talking when he heard a sob from outside the door. Manta stood up calmly and opened the door, revealing a tearful Tamao who caught each and every word he said.

His face turned pale. "Uh…" He began to sweat nervously. "How long had you been there?"

"L-Long enough to hear everything that you've said," she replied shakily.

He looked down. "I see."

Manta gave Tamao a gentle shove into the room, then shut the door.

Tamao sat beside him, not taking her shaking eyes off him. Horo, on the other hand, couldn't look at her. Now that his biggest secret was revealed, he didn't have the face to look her way.

"W-Why?" she asked quietly.

Horo smiled uncertainly. "That's a broad question."

"It's the only question I can think of right now."

Horo grinned sadly. "So…um…where do you want me to start?"

"From the beginning."

"Once upon a time…"

"Horo, I want a confession, not a fairy tale story telling."

"Um, OK."

"What's taking that brat so long?" barked Yohmei as he shivered uncontrollably.

"The chill is too much for you, Yohmei-sama," said Anna. "Maybe you should go home."

"And leave you in the forest alone?"

"I can take care of myself."

"Without a doubt," agreed Yohmei. "But what would Kino _say_ when she finds out that I left you here all by yourself…what would she _do_?"

"Tell her that her grandson and I went for a walk," she suggested.

"Thanks, Anna." The old man began to walk home. "My grandson has always been a troublemaker…geez."

When the old man disappeared from her sight, her gaze went back to the cave. She hugged herself. It was getting cold, alright. She sat down against the bark of the tree to help keep herself warm. She tucked her knees in and looked at the cave. Until finally, her eyes closed, and she drifted off to sleep.

Hao watched her from afar, eyes twinkling. "She's so pretty to look at, especially now that she's asleep. She looks so innocent"

Zinc sighed exasperatedly. "Hao-sama, you're not listening to my reports. The X-Laws…"

"Spare me that. I want to watch her sleep." Hao cupped his chin. Minutes later, he jumped down from the tree top, took off his cape, and placed it on the sleeping itako to protect her from the cold. He backed away, gazed at her for a few moments, then smiled again.

  
Anna woke up when she felt that she was moving…or being moved. She rubbed her eyes and found Yoh's face smiling down at her. She then realized that he was carrying her in his arms.

"Y-Yoh…?" She wasn't too sure. She might still be dreaming.

He grinned. "I'm glad to finally hear you say my name. Man, it sounds good!"

Her eyes shook. After all those days that she secretly missed his sheepish, boyish smiles…here he was, and he was smiling for her.

She felt her own mouth curve into a shy smile. "Y-You're back."

He nodded.

She nodded too, then slapped him. "Now you can put me down, you pervert."

He immediately did as told. "So sorry, Anna! I-I was just worried that you might get chilled when I saw you lying by the tree, sleeping. I didn't want to wake you up, so I took the initiative of carrying you. Please don't be mad."

"Hmp!" She picked her pace up in walking.

"Anna, I'm really sorry!" he wailed.

"Twenty additional push-ups for you tomorrow."

"Anna!" he whined.

"Yes, Yoh?" she asked, not turning to look at him.

He blinked, then grinned. "Ne, I missed those push-ups."

"Then you need to make up for lost time. I'll make it forty."  
  
  
  
  


"Who is that new girl you brought here?" asked En Tao as his daughter dutifully knelt before him.

"Someone who'll set my brother free from hatred, Father," said Jun politely, but her voice was razor-sharp.

En knew it. "You will regret doing that," he said, smirking.

Lyserg watched as a blonde and a spiky-haired boy with walkmans around his head entered the Asakura gates. He sneezed. "I wonder when will that Asakura Yoh come?" He looked at the couple again. "That boy looks too laidback for a future shaman king. That can't be Yoh." He sighed. "So then…where is Yoh?"

Horo Horo had finished his explanation – about how he loved her secretly from afar since childhood, about how he struggled to be better than Yoh in at least one way so as to get some of her attention but still failed, and how he still love her now with even more fire; and he waited for Tamao's reaction nervously.

She shook her head sadly. "You're just saying that…because you drank the love potion."

She would have been elated by Horo's confession – why not, for she feels that she likes him too -, but then, he might have been saying that merely because he was under the influence of her love potion. She couldn't accept that.

Ms. Anna was right. Love potions would only complicate matters more, because love can never be manipulated.

He shook his head. Was Tamao just being gentle in rejecting him by using that love potion as an alibi?

She stood up shakily. "I think Master Yoh is home already."

Silence.

Horo Horo suddenly got up determinedly, ignoring his aching back "Before you go down there, I still have to ask you to pay one thing that you owe me."

"H-Huh?"

He held her close to him and leaned down towards her face. "Ms. Tamamura, you owe me a kiss."

The rest of her half-hearted protests were sealed by his mouth lovingly.

**Tsuzuku**

I would have written more, but I don't want to be late for school. See ya in the next chapter! It's ok if u want to flame me for making those OOC situations. ^^ Go on.

::: Syaoran no hime who is really late for her first class

  
  



	11. 11

I ended up being late for my first class anyway. (Just in case you guys are curious whether I made it to my class or not). This chapter will concentrate on Yoh and Anna, and just like Chapter 9, it won't have much bearing to the story, except maybe to irritate readers who want to know already what happened to the other characters where I left off.

_For those who don't catch my ficcating sked, I update this fic currently in daily mode. Up to how long I can keep this up is anybody's guess._

_Syao thanks the readers who spend time reading the fic. Syao loves you, so she promises to try to be more constant with her updates, and that her updates would be longer._

"A guy who looks like me is interested with Anna?" echoed Yoh, as Anna was busy meditating far away from them.

Amidamaru nodded. "Very, very sure. I think he's a shaman too, but he is very powerful."

Yoh shrugged. "If he's as powerful as you say, then I would like to meet him!" he said excitedly.

The power spirit sweatdropped. "B-But Master, I just told you that somebody is interested with Ms. Anna."

"What's wrong with that?" asked Yoh innocently. "I'm interested with Anna too."

The samurai could only slap his forehead in exasperation.

"One forty nine…one fifty." Yoh collapsed on the ground as Anna pressed the stopwatch.

"Fifteen point two seconds." Anna smiled to herself. Ever since Yoh came home from the Best Place, he was able to break his previous records in her special training.

"Good enough?" asked the future shaman king hopefully.

"Halfway decent," she said. "Tomorrow, I want you to finish those exercises within exactly fifteen seconds, or less."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am!" he saluted.

"You and the Ainu clown would also spar, just to test how much you have improved." Anna stood up. "You can now go about your own business."

"Where are you going?" he asked curiously.

"Downtown," she said. "I'm buying Kino-sensei her personal necessities."

"Can I come with you?" he asked, slipping his hands in his pocket.

She shrugged. "As long as you have the patience to wait on a shopping lady like me."

"OK!" He rushed towards the backyard of the Asakura Gates.

"H-Hey, where are you going?" she asked.

"I'll drive us there."

Soon, Anna found the familiar white horse standing in front of her regally.

"This is my horse, Labyrinth," introduced Yoh, petting the stallion. "He'll take us there."

"I-I've…"She looked at the horse, a flicker of fear in her eyes. "…never ridden on a horse before."

"No problem," said Yoh cheerfully. "I'm here!" He mounted on his horse, then offered his hand down to her.

She looked at his hand uncertainly.

"Take it," he said, grinning.

What is it in his grin that could make her agree to him immediately? Anna didn't know. She just took his hand trustingly and climbed up Labyrinth. She ended up in front of her fiancé. She accidentally looked down and saw how high she was up the ground. She could feel herself getting dizzy. "W-What if I fall?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Anna, it's ok," said Yoh soothingly. "I told you, I'm here. I won't let anything bad happen to you while you're with me."

She glanced at him behind her shoulders, and he grinned again. She looked away quickly.

He took hold of the reins and started to make the horse run. Instinctively, she inched closer to him. 

Big mistake.

Now she could feel her heart race faster, and it wasn't because of the horse anymore.

"Ne, Anna? Don't be scared," he said. He slowed the horse down.

Anna opened her eyes that she realized were shut. To her surprise, they were riding leisurely around a lane shaded by cherryblossom trees.

He smiled shyly. "I thought you would like to go for the more scenic route."

She didn't reply. The simple beauty of the place amazed her. When had she last been into a place as lovely as this?

She then noticed that they would pass by a tree whose branch was just an arm's reach. When they passed by it, she held out her arm to take a flower, just as Yoh reached for it too.

Their fingers touched each other as they touched the flower, then their gazes met.

Anna swallowed nervously when she saw him smile at her. _He always smiles at me like that. His smile now is no different…dakedo…_

She let go of the flower first, and he pulled the flower off the branch. Carefully, he tucked it in between the silky strands of her golden hair. His finger accidentally touched her skin, and she pulled away as if she was electrocuted.

"There." Yoh beamed at her. "Anna is really pretty, eh?"

She blushed faintly, then turned her back on him. "W-We're going to the market."

He nodded. "But let's linger a little more while here, ok, Anna?"

She gave him a small nod, and watched the breeze play with the petals of the cherryblossom.

When he pulled her head gently and laid it on his chest, she didn't protest anymore. It felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Two hours later, they were in the market, shopping for the fruits Kino wanted Anna to buy. The crowd quickly made way for them when they recognized who was the boy up in the horse.

"The future shaman king," whispered one old woman to her companion fiercely.

Her companion nodded. "And that must be his bride."

"They're talking about us," said Yoh, sighing.

"If we could have just walked…" she said.

"I wanted you to feel what it's like to be up in a horse," he shrugged.

Soon, they were standing before a fruit stand. Yoh jumped down from his horse, then held out his hand to her. "Jump down," he instructed.

She gulped as she looked at the height, but she nodded anyway. She shut her eyes and jumped down, and she was caught perfectly on time by her fiancé's arms. She checked their position, and she quickly pulled away from him. "Thank you."

He placed his arms behind his head. "No problem."

After she bought the fruits needed, Yoh carried the bag of fruits for her. "Anna, can we pass by the records shop? I want to buy new CDs."

She felt her mouth twitch. "OK." She was amused that he was still asking her permission when he can simply drive them to it without her protests because he was the one controlling the reins.

As Yoh was busy looking through the records, Anna went out of the shop and noticed the nearby shop – a wedding gown shop. She looked at the display window and peered at the elegant clothes, all done in traditional white.

If she would be asked, she didn't want to wear a white gown, for in some customs, white is used for grieving. She didn't want to grieve early.

Her eyes wandered until she finally saw what she want – a pale pink off-shoulder gown with a long trail of silk. Her eyes shook. She wanted a long trail for her wedding gown too, and she wanted a beautiful little girl to hold the end of the trail for her. She wanted ringbearers dressed not in tux but in shaman outfits. She wanted flower girls dressed like nymphs, who would spread flower petals on the carpeted aisle.

Her eyes lit up as she touched the flower on her hair. Yes, she wanted cherryblossoms. And the aisle she wanted to walk on was the cherryblossom lane she and Yoh passed by awhile ago. 

She could imagine the whole scene so vividly – even the processional match which would be done by a flute. Everything would be so perfect. 

At the end of the aisle, her groom would be waiting.

His sheepish grin.

His unruly hair.

His walkman.

His shirt opened to reveal his chest.

He waved his hand. "Anna!"

She blinked, then went back to reality. Yoh indeed was waving at her, holding two new CDs. She sighed, then walked away from the shop. She better eat as soon as she and Yoh arrives home. Being hungry could make her think of stupid things.

"What were you looking at in the shop, Anna?" he asked, puzzled, as they rode home.

"I was looking for a kitchen sink," she said sarcastically.

"In a wedding gown shop?"

She rolled her eyes. "Figure it out, Asakura Yoh."

"We're home!" He jumped down first, then just like awhile ago, he held out his arms to catch her.

She knew already what to do. She jumped down, but unfortunately, her force came out too fast too much. When he caught her, he lost his balance and they both tumbled down the ground.

Anna lifted her head that was leaning on his chest and looked at her fiancé. "Yoh, are you ok?"

He nodded. "Y-Yeah…um…" He was fascinated by how worry quickly crossed her usually blank face. _And it's because of me. She is actually worried about me!_

She checked her position, then pulled away from him. "Sorry," she said, not looking at him.

Yoh rubbed his head. "I-It's ok. You're not really that heavy."

Her eyes widened, then she turned to him, eyes blazing. "So you're saying I am heavy?"

He blinked, then shook his head vehemently. "Iie!

She stood up. "I better take these to Kino-sensei."

"A-Anna!" he called.

She turned to him expectantly.

"D_Did something happen to you while I was gone?" he asked slowly.

She instantly remembered Hao, but for some reason, she shook her head in reply. "Nothing significant. Why?"

He shook his head too. "N-Nothing. I just want you to know that if you have a problem…just tell me, ok?" He inhaled shakily, then continued. "Don't keep everything to yourself. Don't bottle up your feelings; you can release all of them on me."

She smiled and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

He nodded. "And try harder and more often to smile."

She blinked.

"It takes forty three muscles to frown, and only seventeen to smile," he said. "That, and you are so cute when you smile."

"Y-You think I'm cute?" she repeated incredulously.

He nodded. "Uh-huh. Very."

She couldn't help but smile again. "You have a flowery tongue." 

"Huh?"

"Nothing." She started to walk back into the house when she remembered something. "Yoh?"

"What is it?"

"Your 50 km jog…"

"I'm going to get started on it-"

"No. You can do it tomorrow," she said. "A-And…I'll be with you…if you don't mind me riding Labyrinth again. I-It was…fun."

He nodded excitedly. "That will be great!"

She bowed and left.

"You took longer than before to buy me my stuff," remarked Kino when Anna brought in the bags.

"He toured me around," she said, not looking at  her sensei's eyes directly.

"I see." Kino nodded and smiled knowingly. "The Asakura magic has not lost its touch yet."

**Tsuzuku**

Hmmm… due to insistent public demand…next chapter is Hao/Anna/Yoh.


	12. 12

"Master Yohmei! Mistress Kino!" called Ryu, rushing into the house.

"What's wrong? It's only five in the morning," scolded Yoh's grandfather. "We're not exactly awake yet."

"But I saw someone lying in front of the gates…the cute kid I met some days ago who wanted to meet Master Yoh!"

"Huh?" Kino's forehead creased. "Bring the person in."

Lyserg opened his eyes weakly and found himself the subject of some six or seven pairs of eyes. He jerked awake, then looked around. A tall man with a goofy cucumber hair, a boy with spiky blue hair and boyish smile, an old man, an old woman, a young boy with earphones, and the familiar pink-haired girl he recalled as Tamao.

"W-Where am I?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Great. You fainted in front of a house whose owner you don't know," said a blonde, coming into the room. "Can't you get any more possibly disrespectful than that?"

"Anna, she's sick," pointed out earphones boy, sweatdropping.

"I can see that," she snapped. She raised her eyebrow at him. "You're in the Asakura residence."

"Asakura?" He stood up, alert. "_The_ Asakura shamans?"

Everyone glanced at each other.

"What did you do to me?" he yelled frantically.

The blue spiky-haired guy stepped in front. "We took a sample of your DNA because we're planning to map your genes and know if you can be an instrument in turning all humans to super saiyans."

He was instantly slammed on the head by the old folks.

"We did nothing to you," said the earphoned-boy. "By the way, you better take some food in. Ryu found you all cold and hungry outside awhile ago. Some warm soup will put life back into your chilled bones."

Lyserg smiled. "T-That would be nice." He then noticed that Tamao's eyes were following his every move – a reminder that she still remembered who he was. _I better be careful. If I want to get Asakura Yoh, I must watch my actions._

Tamao inched closer to Horo Horo. "Horo," she whispered.

The boy looked at her, then quickly looked away, face flaming. "Yeah?"

She leaned to his ear. "He looks like the boy that set off an explosion some days ago here, right?"

He looked at the stranger, then nodded. "We'll just have to watch his actions more closely." 

Pirika woke up and saw Ren watching her, an unreadable emotion on his face. She sat up at once, looking for her bamboo sword.

Ren showed her the weapon. "Are you looking for this?"

"Give me that!" She tried to reach for it, but he held it out of her reach.

"Later," he said firmly. "I want us to talk."

"W-We're talking already!"

Ren's mouth twitched. How he missed those cracks from her. "Yes, we are," he agreed.

She paused when she saw his mouth curve into a small smile. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked after her momentary silence.

"Will hurting me the way I hurt your brother make you happy?" he asked.

She couldn't find the words to reply. She nodded, for that was the only thing she could think of to do.

"Will it erase all the anger in your heart?" he asked again.

She nodded again.

"Then do it." He handed her the bamboo sword. "After you get satisfied, you have to go home. Your brother and your friends must be worried about you already."

She looked at him uncertainly, then took the weapon from him. He knelt beside her and closed his eyes, ready to receive her attacks.

"Here, Lyserg. Eat up!" said Ryu cheerfully, spooning the food into the boy's mouth.

"He seems very thoughtful to Lyserg," remarked Tamao.

"Don't tell me you're jealous," said Horo, laughing.

"No. I think you're the one who's jealous, eh?" she asked, smiling. The boy's face turned crimson, which was a perfect contrast to his blue hair. She turned back to Ryu. "Anyway, I was just about to remark that he doesn't seem to know Lyserg's gender."

Horo Horo blinked, then looked back at the scene.

"So what are your favorite flowers?" asked Ryu, beginning his getting-to-know-you interview.

Lyserg smiled his most welcoming smile. "Cauliflowers."

As Ryu ranted on and on about how fragrant a cauliflower was, Tamao and Horo sighed.

"I thought Ryu was a cook?" said Horo.

"I guess he just doesn't want to embarrass our guest," said Tamao.

"I think Lyserg was being sarcastic."

"I think so too."

"You're leaving, Hao-sama?" asked Zinc when he saw Hao get up.

"Yes. I'm paying my little brother a visit." Hao grinned. "I wonder…after he emerged from the Best Place…how strong is he already."

"No matter how much stronger he has become, it is still not enough to beat you," said Zinc.

"I know," said Hao. "But warm-up exercises won't hurt a bit. Besides, I want to see my little Anna again."

"You're getting too interested in her," warned the priest.

To his surprise, Hao paused. Finally, he spoke up, grinning. "Yes, yes, I'm interested in her. In fact, when I take over the world, she will be the first person I'll save."

"You do know very well that she hates you, don't you?"

"I'll teach her otherwise, once I get my chance," he vowed. "I'm a very good teacher."

Yoh was practicing his harusame oversoul as Anna timed him.

"Amidamaru…INTO THE HARUSAME!!!" he yelled.

Anna pressed on the stopwatch. "Two point three seconds."

"Amidamaru…INTO THE HARUSAME!!!"

"Two point three seconds."

"Amidamaru…INTO THE HARUSAME!!!"

"Two point one seconds." Anna eyed him through her narrowed gaze. "You have to work harder. Within those two point one seconds, so many things can happen. What if your opponent anticipates your move? He can break up your oversoul."

He collapsed on the ground, panting.

She looked at her stopwatch. "In fairness, this is an improvement compared to your previous records. Four point eight seconds was your record the last time you did this, the day before you went to the Best Place."

Yoh glanced at her. Was she complimenting him? He lied down the ground, propping his elbows under his head. "Don't worry. I promise to become better tomorrow, so I can be the shaman you guys want me to be."

She nodded. "That's right. You are bound by a duty to me."

"To give you a good life." Yoh grinned at her. "I know."

She looked at him for a few more moments quietly before looking up at the sky. "It's drizzling."

"They said that there was a storm coming." Yoh got up. "Let's go in."

She nodded.

"What a perfect setting for a match."

Anna and Yoh's eyes became alert. They both turned to the pole beside the Asakura gates and found a figure standing on top of it, his cape billowing in the wind.

"Hao…"whispered Anna.

Yoh looked at her. "Who?"

Amidamaru appeared. "Master, that's the boy I'm talking about yesterday!"

"Huh?" He looked up at the stranger again. 

Lyserg perked up. "I can sense a malevolent presence…" He glanced at the sleeping Ryu in the corner, then ran out of the room.

To his dismay, the room was connected to another room. That another room was connected to a pathway that leads to three more rooms, which in turn, leads to more rooms.

"I wonder who's the insane architect that designed this place," wondered Lyserg as he looked around the seemingly endless hallways.

Pirika took the bamboo sword, mustered all her energy, and hit his shoulder blade.

Ren's eyes widened, but he made no sound of pain. He just stood still, not fighting back.

She hit him again on the chest, but just like her initial attack, it solicited no response from him. She hit his arm, his torso, his head, but Ren never lifted a finger to fight back.

Her eyes welled up with years. "Fight back!" she screamed. "Fight back, fight back!" Her hits became more painful, but he never reacted.

"Why don't you fight back?" she wailed as she hit the corner of his mouth, causing it to bleed.

He didn't wipe the blood. He merely looked at her with sadness. "Because a knight can never ever hurt his princess."

Her eyes widened, and the bamboo sword cluttered on the floor. She buried her face on her hands, shoulders shaking. Ren got up and hugged the girl to his chest.

"Please forgive me, Pirika," he begged. "D-Did something happen to your brother?"

She shook her head. "H-He is fine…but what I'm really mad about is…is…you used me." 

"I thought so too," he said.

"Huh?"

"I thought I used you, but in the end, defeating Asakura Yoh became secondary only to my priority." He smiled at her, nearly taking her breath away.

"Protecting my princess…that's my top priority right now." Ren hugged her again, enjoying the silky strands of her hair under his palm.

"D-Do I know you?" asked Yoh, looking at the stranger who jumped down from the pole with consummate ease.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said the stranger, rubbing his cheek. "I forgot to introduce myself to you. How impolite of me!" He turned to the pale-faced Anna and smiled. "You know me already, right?"

Yoh looked at her too, confused.

"Asakura Hao," said Anna slowly. "The reincarnation of the legendary destroyer in your family from 500 years ago. Your brother."

"My brother?" Yoh looked at Hao. "So you're older than me by five hundred years? It's not too obvious. Did you go for plastic surgery or something?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "He's a reincarnation."

"Oh." Yoh offered his hand to the stranger. "Nice to meet you, aniki."

"The pleasure is not mine." Hao's smile widened. "I didn't come here for a family reunion. I came here to test how far has your strength improved."

Yoh's forehead creased. "A match…is that what you want?"

He nodded. "I'm excited to know how it feels fighting with someone whom the Great Spirits didn't reject." Anger flickered in his eyes, but it disappeared as quickly. "Let's do it."

Yoh nodded.

Anna was frozen by indecision. She could sense the great power emitting from Asakura Hao, and she was torn between continuing the match to assess Yoh's improvement, or to protect Yoh by asking her fiancé to forfeit the match – he would do anything she wanted him to do anyway.

She clenched her fists. _Protect Yoh? Why should I? It's not my duty anymore. It's his life. My duty is to train him into becoming a great shaman king that can give me a good life, that's all._

But deep within her, overwhelming worry was beginning to brew.

"Amidamaru…INTO THE HARUSAME!!!"

Hao snapped his fingers. "Spirit of fire."

Anna watched from the sidelines, arms crossed in front of her chest, face blank.

Yoh attacked first, slashing Hao. The latter sidestepped,  pivoted around to face him, then slammed Yoh's body into the ground.

Anna looked on, her eyes giving nothing away.

Yoh got up determinedly, and attacked his brother once more. Hao blocked his sword easily.

"Pathetic." Hao punched his stomach, nearly knocking Yoh's wits out. But the latter, smirked, then used the sheath of his sword to pound on Hao's back. Yoh jumped away as Hao rubbed his back, smirking.

"So you're stooping as low as getting hurt badly just to bruise me. You are desperate, indeed," remarked Hao.

Yoh was panting heavily as he endured the excruciating pain in his stomach and the dizziness caused by his head injury.

"Can you still move, Master Yoh?" asked Amidamaru.

"Y-Yes, of course. T-This is just…a minor injury." Yoh grimaced and gripped his katana tightly. "We're not going to attack this time. We'll take a defensive stance."

Anna looked on, noting how Yoh was beginning to mature on his decisions in battles. _He just doesn't attack…he plans too._

Hao shrugged. "You want me to initiate the attack? No sweat."

Yoh's eyes widened when Hao suddenly disappeared in front of his sight.

_Where is he?_

"Behind you!" yelled Amidamaru.

Yoh turned around just in time to face Hao's genie. He tried to block it, but to his utter dismay, the sheath of the harusame broke.

And Yoh tumbled down the ground, unconscious.

Lightning struck, revealing the twistedly sinister face of Hao looking down at his brother. "Just as I thought. You are not worthy to be the shaman king after all. It is only I who can give justice to the title." He pointed his hand towards Yoh. "Your time is up."

He did a double take when he felt something restraining him. He turned to his side and found that Anna had chained the Spirit of Fire with her itako beads.

"If you have the patience, you can wait for Yoh to improve more," she said, voice blank.

"He was already blessed by the Best Place, and yet, he was defeated so easily." Hao laughed softly. "What do you want me to do then?"

"Wait until he finishes his training," she said.

"No matter how hard he trains, he would never match up against me…unless…" His eyes twinkled. "Oh, I know."

Anna looked at him expectantly.

"I have a proposal." Hao began to tell her his plan. When he finished, Anna was still passive.

"I will think about it," she said.

"OK. Good enough for me." Hao bowed. "I will be leaving, but I'm afraid that no matter how much I adore you, I can't simply leave my genie as a souvenir." He turned to the Spirit of Fire.

Anna let go, and the spirit was set free.

"You were able to sneak up on my spirit," said Hao, impressed. "You really are worthy to be a shaman king's wife."

Anna turned her back on him. "Yoh will be the shaman king."

"We shall see." Hao walked away, a smile on his face.

Anna clenched her fists, then walked towards Yoh. Her eyes shook. "I'm sorry…my trainings…they didn't do you any good. I'm so sorry…you were so confident because you trusted me…I let you down." A tear escaped from her eye, and she shamefully rubbed it away.

Amidamaru appeared. "Ms. Anna…I heard everything…"

She cradled the unconscious body of Yoh in her arms and hugged him. "I knew you would only get hurt…I should have stopped the match earlier."

"Ms. Anna…" The samurai didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry…" she said over and over again as the rain poured down relentlessly.

**tsuzuku**


	13. 13

It was the height of the storm, and Yoh was lying in bed, suffering from a very high fever. Kino and Yohmei watched their grandson grimly as he moaned in pain.

Anna immersed the face towel into the water again and squeezed the excess out. She then placed it back on her fiancé's forehead.

"He's not taking his defeat too easily," said Yohmei. "That fever wasn't caused by the physical wounds alone. What if he never recovers?"

Kino nudged him and gestured to Anna, who was sitting next to Yoh. The grandfather was instantly silenced.

"Yoh will get well," said Anna slowly. "He knows his obligations. He must protect the world."

"Anna, you haven't been sleeping or resting since last night," said Kino gently. "Maybe you better take a break and let Tamao and Horo Horo look after Yoh."

She shook her head, and in a barely audible voice, she said, "It was all my fault."

"Anna, it's an order from your sensei," said Yohmei.

At last, she looked up. "Yes, Master Yohmei, Asakura-sensei."

When she left Yoh's room, she found Tamao, Horo Horo, Manta, Ryu, and Lyserg waiting for her.

"Any progress?" asked Ryu.

She shook her head, then turned to Tamao and Horo. "Will you look after Yoh?" The two immediately nodded.

Lyserg came to her side immediately. "Is it true? Asakura Hao came here yesterday?"

She gave him a curt nod and continued to walk briskly. Lyserg wanted to follow her, but Ryu restrained him.

"Try to understand," said Ryu in a gentle reprimanding voice. "She's heartbroken."

Lyserg clenched his fists, but he decided to let go of her for the time being.

Manta followed Anna with his gaze. He noticed that her steps were determined, as if she intends to go someplace.

"I'm going to check on something," said Ren as Pirika helped him tie the strings of his raincoat. "I heard that Asakura Yoh was severely injured by a certain character. I have to check that out for myself."

"Eh?" She looked concerned. "Do that, and please tell me what happens with your investigation."

"But you must do as I say. After the storm, you must go home already. I don't want your brother to worry about you."

She nodded. "Yes! And um, please check on my brother too. I want to know if he has fully healed already."

He nodded awkwardly, then bowed at her.

Anna secured the bandanna around her neck, then put on her raincoat just as Manta entered her room.

"You forgot to close the door," said Manta.

"Then you should have knocked," she said quietly.

"You're leaving in the middle of a storm?" There was a question in his voice.

"What I will do cannot wait." She started to walk away but Manta stepped in front of her, arms flung to his sides.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "Do you want me to step on you?"

"No, Anna! It's dangerous! If Yoh-kun learns that I know what you are going to do would hurt you, but I didn't do something about it, he'll get mad!" protested Yoh's best friend.

"Then don't make him learn about it." Anna sidestepped the midget and continued walking.

"Anna! Anna, wait! Anna!" called Manta, but to no avail. She left the house already.

As the itako trudged through the heavy pounding of the rain, she silently recalled what Hao told her yesterday.

"I have a proposal to make," said Hao, eyes twinkling. She gave no comment and waited for his offer.

"I have this book where all my powers were derived. Now, if Yoh reads it, I'm sure he'll get much, much stronger," said Hao, glancing at the unconscious Yoh.

"Of course, there's a price to pay," she said evenly.

"Nothing is for free anymore, Anna dear," said Yoh's brother, shrugging. "Besides, all I ask of you is that you leave him and keep me company."

"Very simple indeed," she said sarcastically. "What will you get in case I do agree?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He walked towards her, eyeing her with fascination. "I want you, Anna Kyouyama. Ever since the day I first saw you, I wanted to own you, because you are so elusive." He stopped in front of her, and his hand reached for her chin. With his finger, he tipped it up with surprising gentleness, something she thought he didn't have, basing from what he did to her fiancé.

"I told you before, didn't I? Crushing your high and mighty spirit and taming your wild beauty shall be my delight."

She didn't say anything, although his touch was burning her inside.

His face inched closer to her. "If you want to strike the deal with me," he whispered. "I'll be waiting in the forest." He then stepped away. "What do you say?"

She remained passive. "I'll think about it."

"Good enough for me."

Anna paused when she saw that she was about to enter the forest. She looked back at the Asakura house and felt overwhelming sadness. It was her home, the only place she belonged to. Even though she was able to stay there only for a short period of time, she had learned to cherish that place in her heart.

She shook her head and reminded herself that what she was going to do was for the good of the young master of that house.

Before she could do something stupid like run back into the house and into the side of her fiancé whom she secretly cares for, she walked into the forest briskly.

"Oh, Master Yoh," whispered Tamao, eyes welling up with tears. After Anna left his side, his fever had worsened.

Horo looked at the thermometer grimly. "Thirty nine degree Celsius."

"That bad, huh?" said Lyserg, clicking his tongue.

Ryu shook his head. "Master Yoh will be fine. He will be the shaman king someday. He's made of stronger stuff."

Tamao nodded tearfully. "Whoever did this to him…he's so cruel!"

"Not to mention frighteningly powerful," added the Ainu boy. "Master Yoh was severely injured. I wonder…"

"Asakura Hao is a menace," hissed Lyserg, his fists clenching.

All heads turned to him.

"He must perish," said the dowser.

"You know the guy who beat up Master Yoh personally?" asked Horo Horo.

Lyserg shrugged. "Why shouldn't I know him? He just murdered my parents, that's all."

Tamao stifled her gasp with her hand, as the boys were rendered speechless.

"If you will excuse me," he mumbled, then stood up. He walked out of the room. 

"Asakura Hao," repeated Ren as he listened to the conversation going on in Yoh's room. "He must be a strong fighter then."

He shifted slightly from his crouched position behind the bushes so he could listen more to the conversation.

"Hey you guys, excuse me for a moment," said the blue-haired boy that he recognized as Pirika's brother.

"Where are you going?" asked the pink-haired girl.

"To a no-woman's land," he said, smiling. "Wanna come?"

Ren watched as the girl's fist landed on the boy's face.

"Gee, and Pirika thinks I have beaten up his brother badly already," he remarked.

He paused when he saw him come out of the house, and he was heading straight to his location!

Did he sense my presence? Did he notice me? wondered Ren, sweating nervously even with the rain's presence.

He stopped right in front of him and looked down at the bush. Ren cowered deeper into the grass, hoping that the night sky was enough to cover him. Just please don't let lightning strike.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the –psh sound and the sensation of something dripping on him. No, it was too warm for rain. Therefore…

"Aaarrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

Tamao was alerted by the shout outside, followed by Horo's own shout. "What was that?"

She and Ryu went outside just as Lyserg came out too. "What happened?" asked the emerald-haired boy.

Tamao raised her lamp. "Hey, Horo?"

Horo Horo was seated on the grass, pointing at the boy who was frantically wiping his pointed hair.

"What the what?!" said Ryu, bewildered.

"I-I was…he was…" mumbled Horo.

"He urinated on me," explained Ren angrily as everyone sweatdropped.

"Um, well, come in," said Tamao nervously. "Welcome to the Asakura house. Why don't you take a bath first?"

"Don't let him in!" yelled Horo, following the sweatdropping people into the house. "He was the one who thrashed me up!"

Tamao shrugged. "Still, he's in the grounds of the Asakura, where the motto is 'helping out the helpless'."

"I'm not helpless, you ignorant woman!" bellowed Ren.

"Don't you dare talk to her that way!" said Horo Horo, stepping in front of Tamao protectively. "Remember, I just showered you."

"Why you moronic blue-haired freak-" He was about to stab him with his spear when he realized that he was talking to Pirika's brother! "I-I mean…um…"

Ryu, trying to hide his smirk, handed Ren a towel and a robe. The latter glared at the former lethally.

Pirika was sewing Ren's torn battle clothes when a kyoshin came into the room. "Ms. Pirika, Master En wants to talk to you."

"Huh?" She looked puzzled. "Who's that?"

"Master Ren's father."

"Oh, ok." She placed the clothes on the bed and followed the kyoshin.

Manta entered Yoh's room and found Amidamaru sitting by his master's side, eyes shut in deep contemplation.

"Amidamaru?"

The spirit jerked, then looked at the midget. "Ah, Master Manta!"

"That's unusual," said Manta quietly. "Usually, you can sense my presence even when I'm thirty meters away from you."

"I was thinking…I'm sorry."

"About what?"

Amidamaru looked out at the window. "Have you seen Ms. Anna?"

"She left." Manta was beginning to grow worried when he saw the samurai's forehead crease. "Why?"

"So she did it anyway," said Amidamaru. 

"D-Did what?"

The two blinked when they saw Yoh looking at them, eyes barely open, but in his face was the determination to stay awake just to hear what happened to his fiancée.

Amidamaru looked away. "I'm sorry, Master Yoh. I can't tell you."

He forced a grin. "B-But I thought we promised to each other…that we won't keep secrets…from each other?"

"Master Yoh…"

"T-Tell me…what did Anna do?" he asked beggingly.

"She…she went out to find a cure for you," explained the samurai.

"But it's just a fever, right?" asked Manta.

"No, I'm talking about his sadness." Amidamaru exhaled slowly. "Caused by his loss of belief in his abilities."

Yoh looked confused.

"Ma'am Anna is finding a way to make you stronger, so that you won't be defeated again…at the expense of her own life. She agreed to be Hao's slave, in exchange for a book that can give you more powers."  
His face was shocked, then all of a sudden, he forced himself to get up.

"Master Yoh!"

"Yoh!"

Amidamaru and Manta tried to pull him back. "You're still sick…and too weak," said Manta, giving the samurai a pleading look.

"Anna…I have to stop Anna…" he whispered hoarsely. "What does she think she's doing?"

"Master Yoh, you have a fever!" said the spirit.

"No, I can still…catch up with her. I have to stop her."

"Yoh, she left hours ago!" said Manta.

He froze. "T-Take me to her then. Take me to Hao! I have to…save…Anna…" His knees gave way, and he weakly landed back to his bed.

"No need."

Their heads turned to the window, and found a tall, lanky man peering at them with a smile. Blond, with purple eye shadow and dressed in white coat resembling a doctor's, he entered the room through the window.

"Hao sent me here to bring you his end of the bargain." He handed them an old, tattered book. "And since he was charitable, he decided to send me as your doctor who will treat you until you're healthy enough to train."

"Who…are you?" asked Yoh, who could feel himself losing temper. "Are you…one of my brother's minions?"

He shook his head. "Of course not! I'm just a traveling doctor who happened to pass by a forest, and I was asked to respond to a call of duty." He bowed. "Faust VIII, at your service."

The three looked at the person before them, deciding whether they should trust him.

"Take the book," said Faust suddenly. "Ms. Anna has sacrificed a lot just to give you this."

Yoh's face turned grim. "Where is Anna?"

"If I were you, I shouldn't worry. He's being taken care of by Hao properly." Faust grinned. "Now, you must get well."

"I have to save Anna," repeated Yoh, and Amidamaru and Manta realized with a sinking heart that the future shaman king was beginning to get very, very angry.  

"You won't be able to save her anyway, when you are currently sick." Faust smiled. "You must be a good patient and rest, or else I'll tell Ms. Anna, and she will be unhappy."

Yoh paused.

"He's got a point, Yoh-dono," whispered Amidamaru.

The boy looked down.

"Let me help you decide." Faust took out a syringe and injected it on Yoh.

The boy fainted at once.

**Tsuzuku**

( man, this should have been longer, dakedo, I'm going to be late again if I don't wrap the chapter up. Oh well, there's always a tomorrow.)


	14. 14

_Question: What is the one thing that can shatter Syao-chan's Hao/Anna fantasies?_

_Answer: The Tagalized voice of Hao that is cuter than Anna's._

_--- syaowee ---_

"He will be asleep for quite a while," said Faust as he, Manta, and Amidamaru watched the sleeping boy. "The tranquilizer I used on him is quite strong."

"Thank you." Amidamaru bowed at him, but Manta cowered behind the spirit. Faust VIII was starting to scare him.

Faust noticed that, and he turned to the midget. "I'm a little hungry. Do you have excess food for hungry and chilled _to the bones_ traveler like me?"

Manta nodded slowly. "I-I'll ask Tamao to prepare you some food."

"I'll come with you," he said, but Manta vehemently shook his head. "Please don't!!!" cried the little boy.

"Hee hee. You're so cute," gushed Faust, patting the midget's hair. "You're tickling my funny _bone_." 

Manta pulled away. "A-Ah, Tamao! Prepare food for 1 person!!!"

"Do you have juicy _ribs_?" asked Faust suddenly, looking at Manta meaningfully.

The boy instinctively hugged his chest.

"I heard that they go well with gravy," smiled Faust. "Do you have stock of ribs in your kitchen? I can cook."

"The bath is ready!" announced Tamao.

Ren went into the bath, annoyed. "Do you always scream like that with your shrill, high-pitched voice?"

Horo playfully shoved the guest into the bath. "Stop picking on my girl. Let's go, let's go!"

Ryu entered the bath too. "I might as well take a relaxing dip too."

Lyserg shrugged. Rather than looking up at the ceiling and pretending to think of plans to get Hao when he couldn't think of any now, he decided to join them too.

Ryu was shocked when he saw Lyserg join them. "H-Hey, Lyserg! This bath is for boys only!" he said frantically. Horo Horo and Ren sweatdropped.

"I know," said the green-haired boy, loosening his ribbon.

"Don't do it!" cried Ryu, covering his eyes with both of his hands, but he was peeking through the gaps of his fingers.

Lyserg threw the ribbon on the floor and began to unbutton his shirt.

Tamao shut the door as the dowser threw his shirt on the ground. Ryu's eyes widened.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!" Ryu was taken aback. "He's…a…m…m…ma…"

"Male," said Horo. "A boy, a lad, an xy-chromosomed body, an Adam, a guy, a chap, a gentleman-"

"Waaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!!!" The man buried his head on the narrow-eyed Horo sorrowfully as Lyserg joined them in the bath as if nothing significant happened.

"I'm sure by this time, the book is in my brother's hands now." Hao turned to Anna, who refused to make eye contact with him. He sighed. "Are you mad at me?"

"Why should I be mad at you?" she asked mockingly. "Imagine, you went as far as to send Yoh a doctor. Oh, I can't think of the words to express my thanks."

"Anna…" He reached out and touched her hair gently.

She looked up at his face, but looked down again quickly. She could only see Yoh's grinning face. _They look so much alike, but they are so different._

"I will make you happy too," he murmured. "I can give you a better life, if you would only give me the chance…"

She knew that he could, but even so, her heart was still foolishly crying for her fiancé's name.

Hao knew that. He sighed. "We better eat."

The kyoshin pushed Pirika in front of a very large double-door room. Her eyes widened. "I wonder why they made the doors so big?" she wondered aloud.

"Why, so I can fit into it, my dear."

Pirika turned ahead, but all she was a very large pair of feet. She looked up and saw the smirking face of a giant.

"W-Who are you?" asked the girl. _Is he one of En Tao-sama's body guards?_

"You came here without knowing who you would talk to?"

"Y-You mean, you're En Tao?" She felt silly with what she thought of him awhile ago.

"Right." The giant nodded. "I just have some questions to ask you regarding my son."

"H-Huh?"

"Are you the one who weakened him and put all those kind of absurdities and doubts in his mind?" asked the father.

She was bewildered. "I…I don't understand."

She gasped when she felt the floor beneath her shake. The patriarch of Tao stood up.

"You are the reason why my son cannot do what he's supposed to do. You're the reason why he became a coward." His hand reached for the trembling girl. "For that, you will pay."

Ren froze.

"What's wrong, Ren Tao the Carabao?" asked Horo Horo, puzzled.

He stood up. "Pirika."

Horo's forehead creased. "Pirika?"

Ren's eyes became alert. "Pirika!"

Horo's eyes widened. "Pirika?!"

Ryu and Lyserg watched them, eyes quizzical.

Without wasting any second, Ren scrambled out of the bath. Horo followed him.

Lyserg sighed. "The least the two could have done is cover their naked body."

Ryu nodded in agreement.

The two heard Tamao's terrified scream.

"There goes one traumatized girl," said Lyserg. "I wouldn't be too surprised if she would have to undergo a sex therapy after this."

They heard Kino's scream next.

Ryu looked at Lyserg.

Lyserg looked at Ryu.

The two burst into laughter, not mentioning any more about trauma and sex therapies.

"Hey wait!" yelled Horo. "Do you know my sister? Where is she? Wait up!" He followed Ren out of the house, dressed in a robe that he managed to snatch from the clothesline. "Damn you, Ren Tao! What happened to my sister?!!!!"

The boy glanced at him. "I don't know, but I better go back." Ren pulled his mandarin-collared coat to his body.

"Back? Go back where? Is Pirika there?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Then I'm coming with you!" Horo narrowed his eyes at him. "For all I know, you kidnapped my sister because you want to have a rematch with me."

"Hah! I won't have a rematch with someone as weak as you are."

"What did you say?!!!!!"

"Weakling!"

"Braggart! Hair failure!"

"Stop picking on my hair!" Ren did his best not to utter profanities. After all, the boy before him was still Pirika's brother.

"Where is that place anyway?" asked Horo.

"The Tao residence, where else?"

"Tao?" Horo blinked. "The name sounds so familiar…how are you related to the Asakura clan?"

Ren smirked. "We're their archenemy, that's all."

Manta and Amidamaru watched as Faust greedily finished the rib soup he asked for.

"He likes bones very much, doesn't he?" remarked Manta to the spirit in a whisper. The spirit nodded.

"Ah! The meal was great!" Faust placed the bowl down. "Your cook is almost as good as Eliza."

"Huh?"

"Never mind." Faust knelt beside Yoh and checked his temperature. "His fever is going down."

Manta and the power spirit sighed, relieved.

"It was just too much stress," continued the doctor. "But he will get well soon." Faust turned to them again. "He will be the future shaman king, am I right?"

The two nodded. 

"Then it's best that we become friends." Faust grinned. "Do you know that Asakura Hao says that he too, will be the future shaman king?"

"He said that?" asked Amidamaru.

The doctor shrugged. "I don't really care who becomes the shaman king, as long as he grants my wish."

"Wish?" echoed Manta.

"Yes. To bring my beloved Eliza back."

"D-Did she leave you?" asked Manta cautiously.

"Yes, yes. To somewhere I cannot follow her." Faust smiled sadly. "To the other world."

"Oh." Manta looked down. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Apologies cannot bring my lovely Eliza back." Faust looked at the sleeping Yoh. "Only the shaman king could do that. So he must get well soon."

Ren and Horo Horo were met by a kyoshin.

"Pailong!" said Ren. "Where is Pirika?"

"Your sister sent me here to tell you something." Pailong was upset. "Your father is talking to Ms. Pirika."

"What?!" Ren hurried into the mansion.

"Wait a minute! I want to see my sister too!" Horo followed Ren.

The young Tao went straight into his father's room. "Pirika! Pirika!" He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw his father standing in the middle of the room, as if waiting for him. Behind him, Horo Horo gasped at the size of the creature before them.

"If you want the girl back, you have to defeat me first," said En, smiling evilly.

Tamao brought in another basin of water as Manta and Faust took care of Yoh.

"I heard you guys scream downstairs," said Manta, frowning. "What is it now?"

Tamao's face turned pinker than her hair. "Um…"

Kino entered the room. "A couple of naked boys were running in the hallway awhile ago."

"One of them is Horo Horo," said Amidamaru and Manta at the same time, rolling their eyes.

Kino nodded. "And the other one is a Tao."

Manta blinked. "The notorious family that the Great Spirits rejected?"

"The very same. What would a Tao be doing in the house of the Asakura clan, bathing with its members?" Yoh's grandmother touched the sleeping face of her grandson. 

Tamao gulped.

Kino turned to the doctor. "You were sent by Hao?"

Faust nodded politely and handed her the old, tattered book.

"Hao gave this to Yoh?" said the old woman in disbelief.

"In exchange for Ms. Anna," replied the doctor.

Kino's forehead creased. She stood up slowly. "This is the book where Hao derived almost all his powers. He wouldn't give this to Yoh so easily unless…unless Anna means that much to him."

Anna noticed a small leaf by her feet. She picked it up and wiped it with the hem of her skirt. She then turned it to the other side and began to blow on it softly. It created a melody resembling that of a flute's.

Hao watched her from afar, a soft smile on his face. The girl could delight him so much – truly, an angel who pretends to be a devil.

He began to feel sleepy. No, he had never ever felt this peaceful before that he could actually sleep. His heart melted readily and trustingly to the notes of her music.

_I want her melody too. I want to belong to the source of that beautiful melody…her heart._

He paused when the music stopped. He looked at Anna.

"I'm sorry. I was disturbing your sleep," she said, voice blank.

"No. It's lulling me to sleep," he corrected. "Come here."

She was his possession already, so she dutifully came to his side.

He asked her to sit beside him. She did so, and he laid his head on her lap. "Now, continue playing."

"A-Are you sure you want to hear it?" she asked with surprising uncertainty.

He nodded, smiling at her fondly. The smile he reserved only for her.

He closed his eyes and allowed her music to put him into a peaceful slumber.

"What? Why is your father holding my sister hostage?!!" yelled Horo Horo, turning to the grim Ren.

The young Tao felt his blood boil. "You didn't have to involve Pirika here!" yelled the boy to his father.

"Guess what? I did," boomed En. "Because she's the reason why you lost your tiger courage – the clan's most precious heritage."

Ren clenched his fists.

"I heard your conversation with her. And I won't let her ruin your priorities. Your most important concern is not her, but the destruction of the Asakura clan!"

"I live my own life!" yelled Ren. "And you can't meddle with the way I choose how to live my life! I'm tired of perpetual hatred…the Asakura clan is not that evil-"

"Listen to yourself!" bellowed his father. "Are you really Ren Tao, my son, who is speaking? The Asakura clan is a clan of devils!"

"I met the people who love the Asakura_s_ and I realized that those people will not love them so much if they indeed are demons." Ren finally took out his weapon. "But since you won't listen to my arguments, then I would just have to make you do so."

Lyserg bowed in front of Kino and Yohmei the next day. The storm had passed, thankfully. "Thank you again for your hospitality. I will return soon to pay Asakura Yoh a visit."

The two nodded, and he left the house.

Ryu was outside, waiting for him. "Where are you going now?"

Lyserg blinked. "T-To the church." He was tossed a helmet by the man.

"Hop on," said Ryu, gesturing to his motorcycle.

The dowser grinned. "Thanks."

"Sister Jeanne, Lyserg said that he will drop by here," said a man dressed in immaculate white.

The nun nodded, then continued her prayers.

"And Hao was located already."

She paused. "Is that so?" She turned to the stained glass window. "Do not worry. I am sure Lyserg can bring Yoh here. We will have to worry about bringing Hao here later on. As for the Gates of Babylon, they are stronger than he thinks. My prayers will protect them."

"His fever is gone," announced Faust that afternoon, to everyone's relief. "All we have to do is to wait for him to wake up."

Tamao nodded tearfully. "Thank Kami-sama."

Manta looked down. "I'm scared."

Amidamaru understood him at once. "Hey, I'm sure Master Yoh will be calmer this time. He was sick when we broke the news, that's why he wasn't able to accept it calmly."

"If I didn't let Anna leave…"

"No one in this family can stop a determined person like her, Master Manta," said the spirit comfortingly. "Not even the Mistress Kino."

"I had never seen Yoh so mad…" said the midget slowly.

"Me too," agreed the samurai.

They stopped talking when they heard Yoh groan.

"He's going to wake up!" said Tamao excitedly.

Manta and Amidamaru looked at each other.

**tsuzuku**


	15. 15

Yes folks, it's time for one of Syao-chan's irritating breaks in the fanfic --- something she does whenever she's not in the mood to type long chapters.

_The couple in focus this time is Hao/Anna. In case they are OOC, please don't get mad, ok?_

_Now for the one who was asking for my cel no., I'm sorry but I do not own a CP. I own a PC, but not a CP. *ouch*. But if you email me with your no., I will find a way to text you._

_I'm also glad that there are Filipino readers enjoying this fic. Salamat ha! Pagbubutihan ko ang updates. ^__^ Actually, hindi ko na nga napapanood ang Mankin eh. Bwiset kasi ang sked ko as STI._

_On to the chapters!_

Hao had fallen asleep on her lap once again. Anna sighed. She couldn't understand the person before her. He was sinister, indeed, he was the type that would never trust and would never be trusted. Yet, he allowed himself to sleep in her presence, as if not caring whether she was free to get rid of him or something. What do you call that? Was it trust? Was it confidence?

It irritated her, and at the same time, it warmed her heart in a peculiarly nice way. It reminded her that beneath his cocky smiles and manipulative ways, he was still a human.

Even though she could not understand what is it about her that interests Hao, she wouldn't complain about the way he treats her. He treated her like a fine lady and a little girl at the same time, with his indulging and affable smiles. His dominating ways, deciding things for her – perhaps done in good intention even if she didn't like not being consulted about his moves. His suave way of dismissing her sarcastic remarks. His temper that was always checked, no matter how hard she tries to push his patience over the edge. His witty rebuttals, ever ready whenever she tries to raise an issue against him.

Ah, Asakura Hao was an enigma in the truest sense. She could never piece together his mystery.

That was part of his charm, in a way. He could make any woman feel like one whenever with him.

Hao opened his eyes and found Anna gazing at him. He smiled teasingly. "Did I pass your standards?"

He chuckled when he saw a faint blush creep on her cheeks. She looked away. "My feet are starting to sleep."

"Oh?" He sat up and stretched. "OK, we'll wake them up."

Anna gasped when he suddenly knelt in front of her and began to massage her legs. He looked up at her, eyes twinkling. "This will help improve blood circulation, and can help ease your pin and needles sensation."

He continued to knead her knees with utmost gentleness, as if afraid that squeezing her too much could break her like a brittle porcelain doll.

The two were silent, Hao concentrating on massaging her, and Anna concentrating on eyeing him.

"Anna?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know how to cook?"

"Yes, but I don't cook."

"I want you to cook for me tonight." He grinned. "Just like wives do for their husbands."

She scowled. "I am not your wi-"

"Just for tonight," he said, and she thought she detected a hint of begging in his voice. She just had to nod.

His eyes lit up, and he continued on his massage again, humming.

_Just like a little boy_, thought Anna.

"Do you cook for my brother?" he asked suddenly.

She shook her head truthfully. "I make him do the household chores."

"I'm afraid I'm not like him," laughed Hao. "I'm _terrible_ at those things."

Anna watched him, stunned. This wasn't the Hao she saw in the Asakura yard that nearly killed her fiancé. He looked and sounded so different, that it was so easy for her to think that what happened that stormy afternoon was all just a dream.

"But for your sake, I will do my best to learn," continued Hao, grinning.

"Are you really sure that I will be your wife?" she asked coldly.

"I will be the shaman king, and you are engaged to one, so therefore…"

"After what you sent to Yoh…"

Hao smiled. "I'm not worried. What I gave my brother was but a ghost of an advantage. He would know all my powers and moves, but he could never decipher fast enough which one of them I would pull."

"But then, he will learn counterattacks…"

"Which will be fine by me," said Hao, shrugging carelessly. "The match would be better if he knows better defense stances rather than his stand-and-wait techniques." He smiled at her. "What is important is that I have you, and he doesn't."

"Do you think I'm a toy?" she snapped. "Something siblings would fight over?"

"You are worth every reason to fight over and fight for, Anna Kyouyama." He stood up. "You may not know how really extraordinary you are, but I do."

Anna was silenced.

"Ever since I saw you under that snowy sky, I had vowed to myself that I would have you at any cost. And now that you're here with me, anyone who wants to challenge me and get you will have to pass by me first."

"Why me?" she asked.

He smiled, eyes laughing. "That's the same question I keep asking myself after all the showers of insults I got from you all throughout yesterday."

"Do you really want me to cook you dinner?" asked Anna after a moment.

He nodded.

She whipped out a piece of paper from her pocket and a ballpen.

"You always have those in handy?" asked Hao, puzzled.

"I always ask Yoh to do the groceries, so I keep jotting materials handy," she explained as she listed all the ingredients she needed.

"I see." Hao took the list from her when she finished. "You'll get them later." He snapped his finger. "Zinc?"

The priest appeared. "Hao-sama?"

"Go to the market and get these ingredients."

"Huh?" The priest sweatdropped. "W-Why should I?"

"Because Anna needs those written on that paper," explained Hao patiently.

"But why me?" cried the priest.

"Simple. Because you're the only one available here," explained Yoh's brother.

Grumbling, Zinc took the list and left.

True to Hao's words, within a quarter of an hour, the priest returned, successful from his grocery trip. As he grumpily laid the ingredients on the table, Anna started to gather the twigs scattered around the forest.

"What are you doing?" asked Hao, bewildered.

Anna turned to him. "I'm going to start a fire. Do you have anything against it?"

He chuckled. "Don't be so grouchy. I was just asking." He snapped his finger, and a flame appeared on the twigs. Anna dropped the flaming twig, startled.

"I thought you might want some help," he explained.

"No, I don't need you to help. After all, I am your slave," she said.

Hao shook his head. "No, let me correct that. You are not my slave. You are my pet. My pets are treated with respect, almost half the way my minions respect me."

Anna paused. 

"If any of them dares to insult you, tell me."

"You yourself are insulting me," she pointed out. "I am Anna Kyouyama, and I am my own person. Nobody owns me."

"That was then. Now somebody does. You are mine." Hao cupped his chin with one of his hands. "You are my favorite pet, my favorite person. You should feel flattered."

"Where do you get all your hot air-powered spunk, Asakura Hao?" she asked, ignoring his words.

"I always get my way," he said, shifting his position. "I ask for the moon, I get it. I ask for summer rain, I get it. I want the sun to set in the east, it happens. I am the omni power of the world. "

"You sure are delusional with megalomania," said Anna as she began to chop the vegetables. "You will discover by yourself that not everything in the world is served in a silver platter for you. That includes the title of the shaman king. Yoh is an impressive shaman with a strong heart empowered by the desire to protect the weak. Those are the traits the Great Spirit is seeking."

Hao shrugged. "The Great Spirit is just insecure, because it couldn't believe that there is a creature like me that is much stronger than it, so it decides to pick on weak people to carry it out."

Anna shook her head. "The Great Spirit's wisdom is an abyss."

Silence.

"I don't want to talk about these." Hao walked beside her. "What are you cooking?"

"Vegetable soup."

"Good. It's been centuries since I last had a good soup." 

Hao watched as Anna gracefully pivoted back and forth as she busily cooked the dish. He loved observing her – it was like watching fine art in motion. Her every move radiated with quiet grace and finesse, and ironically, she had no idea that she was doing so!

She stirred the wok that she also asked Zinc to buy. The aroma of the buttered fried vegetables, plus the sight of Anna cooking, made him suddenly imagine how great a life would be to wake up to this scene for an entire lifetime.

When I look at her, my whole world seems to stop. All that matters is her actions. Her scent. Her feel. Her touch. Her melody. I forget about everything else but her name.

Anna Kyouyama Asakura.

He liked it already.

"Here."

Hao paused and saw the bowl that Anna was offering him.

He accepted it gratefully, then proceeded to eat. He gave no complaints, but his eyes did the talking.

Now if only Anna would look at him in the eye for more than three seconds, then he might just be able to explain to her what he was feeling at that time.

He frowned thoughtfully when he saw Anna looking out at the direction of the Asakura house. 

He still had a long way to go before truly owning her.

Hao asked one of his minions to start a bonfire while he and Anna sat by a log, watching the dark skies overhead turn lighter that early morning. Sunlight was filtering through them already.

"The storm is over," remarked Anna.

"Wrong. The storm is just starting," said Hao ominously.

**tsuzuku**


	16. 16

This chapter is pretty weird, and you might encounter OOCs in the way, but this is an AU, is I guess it's forgivable. Credits to Bratty for one part of the story. ^^

"If you prove yourself to be a worthy shaman, I will be your friend for as long as you want to. If you fail, you would have to give Amidamaru to me," said Anna as she prepared to shut the door.

"Wait, Anna!" Yoh used his hand to squeeze himself in between the gap of the door separating them. "Am I still not worthy?" He tried to reach for her, but she shrank away from him.

"Don't touch me!" she cried. "It's too late."

 Too late for what? He had no idea. Yet he continued to speak soothingly. "No, it isn't!" he insisted. "Hold my hand, and everything will be alright."

"It will never be alright," she whispered, and her voice broke. His heart broke too. 

"Anna, let me in. Just let me in, and I promise, you will be alright," he begged.

Her eyes widened, and a tear streaked down her cheek. She touched her heart. "No need. You were let in here even before you knocked."

"Anna…"

"Master Yoh!"

He opened his eyes and found his whole family looking at him. He rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Hey, what's everyone looking at? You all look like you're watching a murder scene from a horror flick." He turned to Amidamaru. "Hey!"

"How do you feel now, Yoh-dono?" asked the samurai anxiously.

He grinned. "Great!" His eyes scanned for somebody.

"Anna left," said Kino.

He froze, then all of a sudden, remembered the events when he woke up in that particular stormy afternoon. He was silenced as he recalled his dream. __

Kino slowly drew towards her grandson's side. "Yoh…" she said softly.

"Grandmother?" he said.

All of a sudden, the old woman kicked him out of the bed. "Get your butt out of the house and take your fiancée back from your brother! Don't you ever think of going back here without Anna!"

Yoh wailed. "Hai, hai!"

"Move!!!"

"Yes, grandma!" he said, trying to dodge her kicks. 

After an hour, Yoh was sitting in front of the steps of the house, looking up at the sky. Tamao came out of the house and saw her master. She came to him and sat beside him. "Master Yoh?"

"Tamao?" He turned to her, the smile pasted on his face not reaching his eyes as it usually did.

"Do not be sad," she said. "You'll see her soon."

He looked up at the sky again thoughtfully. "She told me once that I must become a worthy shaman. After what happened, I don't have the face to see her again. I…I was defeated." He propped his head against his elbows. "What if she doesn't want to see me again because I'm such a weak shaman? I'm not worthy at all to be a shaman king."

"Don't say that!" cried Tamao, on her feet. "I'm sure that she left because she wants you to be the best shaman. She sacrificed her freedom because she believes that you can do better. That book can help you a lot. And…and…" Her eyes moistened. "I'm a girl too. I know how Ms. Anna must have felt when she decided to leave."

"Tamao…" He looked down. "The good life she was asking for…I cannot provide her that anymore."

"Why not?" she demanded. "You're her fiancé. It's your duty, don't you forget that!" 

Yoh's eyes widened. _She's right. No matter what, I mustn't give up on trying to give her a good life, because I promised her that I would do that._

She turned her back on him. "Sorry for raising my voice."

"It's alright," he said softly. "If you didn't do that, I wouldn't have heard you." 

"Huh?"

He stood up. "I'm going."

She turned to him, nodding. "Ganbatte, Master Yoh!"

Kino appeared, holding a bag. "Your clothes," said the grandmother unemotionally. She tossed it to his grandson. 

"Y-You fixed it for me?" asked Yoh, incredulous.

"I want my student back," she replied. "She's a more dedicated student than you."

He grinned. "I'll bring her back."

"I'll tell Horo Horo to follow you once he gets back!" said Tamao, waving. "And Ryu too!"

Yoh nodded, and slung the backpack over his shoulder.

Outside the Asakura gates, he saw Manta and Amidamaru standing there, waiting for him.

"Good luck, Yoh!" said Manta, raising a thumbs up.

Amidamaru glided to his master's side. "Let's go?"

Yoh nodded, then grinned at his best friend. "Take care of everyone at home."

"Don't worry, I will!" said the midget, grinning back.

Manta watched as the shaman and his spirit headed towards the boundary of Izumo.

"Amidamaru?"

"Yes, Yoh-dono?"

"Um, where are we going to find Anna?"

"I-I thought you already know because you said that we can go already!"

"I thought _you_ know because I was sleeping when she left!"

Manta sighed. "Birds of the same feather flock together."

"Yaaaah!!!" Ren made the initial attack.

En smirked and raised his left hand, blocking his son's attack from the back. "Ren, I have watched your training ever since you were a child, so I already know virtually all your techniques. If you will depend on them alone, you'll _never_ win."

"Shut up!!!" Ren slashed his father's shoulder, but the latter was able to avoid his attack.

"You have weakened because of that girl!" boomed En when he anticipated Ren's blow from above. He stuck his elbow out and hit Ren, causing the latter to be thrown away several feet from him.

"Ren Tao!" yelled Horo Horo.

"She means nothing to me!" yelled Ren, trying his best to stand up.

"Liar!" boomed En. "You fighting me is already a proof!" He suddenly headed towards Ren. "You are rebelling against me, and I cannot forgive that!!!"

Before En's fist landed on Ren, Horo Horo was able to save him, thanks to his snowboard.

"Sorry. Usually, I don't meddle with family affairs, but I can't let Ren Tao the Carabao die." Horo Horo grinned at the furious father. "I hope you understand. I still have to defeat your moronic son."

"Who asked you to save me?" snapped Ren.

"Don't move too much, or we'll both fall from my snowboard!" yelled Horo. "And don't stab me with your hair!"

"Silence!" boomed En. "I'm battling with you, Ren!"

But the two didn't hear him.

"Hah! My hair is better-looking than yours! Mine is royal blue!"

"It's too hideously dark! Look at mine, it's done in the right shade of light blue." Horo touched his hair for effect.

"Hah! Light blue only goes well with Pirika's hair!" retorted Ren, crossing his arms.

Horo paused. 

Ren froze, realizing that he said a bit too much.

Silence. Even En was listening.

"You…have a _crush_ on my sister?" said Horo Horo slowly.

Ren's face turned white, then pink, then red, then flaming crimson. "Oh, shut the hell up!" cried the Tao.

"You like…Pirika? As in really, really like?" continued the Ainu boy.

"Shut up! SHUT UP!!!"

Horo doubled over, laughing. "Wahahahahahhahahahh!!!! Wahahahahahahah!!!!Mwahahahhahahahah!!!!"

"Kusu yo!" yelled Ren, not knowing how to kill the boy before him and try to stop the circus of colors on his cheeks at the same time.

"Omigod! This is too rich! Wahahahahhahahahahah!!!" Horo then blinked. "Wait, why am I laughing? He just said that he likes my sister!"

Ren gulped. He nearly forgot that Horo Horo was Pirika's brother, unbelievable as it may was.

Horo Horo narrowed his eyes at him. "The person who nearly killed me…ah wait, don't tell me you're the cute quiet boy my sister was talking about?"

"S-She said I'm cute?" squeaked Ren, blushing more.

"Hell!" Horo wanted to tear the remaining hair in his head that Tamao didn't manage to uproot. "Kami-sama, are you trying to give me a mid-life crisis at thirteen? I'm too young and cute for a breakdown!"

Ren clenched his fists. "You think _you_ have problems? I don't like you too!"

The two stopped when they heard a strange sound coming from En. They then remembered that they were in a middle of a battle that would spell the fate of the girl both boys loved.

To their utter shock, En Tao burst out laughing.

Yoh was sitting in a bench with Amidamaru, sighing. They were in the marketplace just some meters away from the Asakura Gates.

"How are we going to start looking for Anna?" he groaned to his spirit.

"I only heard the word forest, but there are several forests here," said the samurai. "You even have your own forest in your backyard!"

"So now what?" asked Yoh. "We start searching through each forest?"

"Maybe I could be of some help."

Yoh and the spirit looked up. Faust was standing with a stern-looking priest beside him.

"Master Asakura Yoh, meet Shilva," introduced the doctor.

Ren looked up at the sky, expecting a comet to fall down on them. Why was his father laughing?

En cleared his throat. "I've…never seen that side of your personality, Ren. And in some way, I feel prouder of you than when you won in your previous matches with fierce foes."

The young Tao was bewildered. Was that really his father talking?

"Your father never succeeded in finding friends," explained En's wife, entering the room too. Behind her, a kyoshin was carrying the sleeping Pirika.

"Pirika!" exclaimed Horo and Ren. The kyoshin handed them the girl back.

"And according to the rules of the clan, no one can defy the will of the heir of the house of Tao," said En, returning to his serious mode. "Do what you want to do. I don't care."

"B-But what about the match?" asked Ren.

"You got what you want."

He stood up. "No. I'll defeat you, Father. I also want that."

"Hmp." En shrugged. "When you return, we will battle again."

"And the Asakura clan?"

"You are a spineless Tao anyway," said En, smirking. "I'll just have to count on the next generation again to defeat that clan."

"Your future children, Ren," explained his mother, glancing at Pirika.

His face started to become colorful again as Horo Horo restrained himself from hitting Ren with a snowboard.

As the three left the main room, Jun appeared, together with Pailong.

"It was a set-up," said Ren, irritated, when he saw the smile on his sister's face.

"Yes, it is," agreed Jun softly. Ren's irritation vanished immediately, but of course, he didn't show it.

His sister then brought out a red cloth-covered object. "Father wishes you to have this."

Ren took it and unwrapped it. He found a broken sword.

"It's the legendary sword that has been passed down by the Tao clan heads from generation to generation. Now, Father wants you to carry this as a symbol of your greatness." She smiled. "What happened awhile ago was just a test to see if you are already worthy enough to carry it."

"I did nothing in my battle. I wasn't even able to fight properly," said Ren slowly.

"But you did something that Father wasn't able to do before."

"Make friends?" asked Ren, echoing his mother's words.

"No. Argue about hair colors in the middle of a big fight." Jun hugged her brother tight. "I know that I won't be seeing you for quite a while. Take care while you're away, Rennie boy."

"Stop calling me that!" snapped Ren as Horo Horo snickered behind him. He then turned to Pailong. "If something happens to my sister while I'm gone, I swear I'll kill you."

Pailong nodded. "I will die before something happens to her."

Ren nodded and turned to go, but he came to his sister again. "Nee-chan?"

She knelt before him so that they would be face-to-face. "Yes?"

He hugged her tightly.

Jun felt her eyes well up. How many times had she yearned that Ren would hug her like this? To make her feel that he wasn't untouchable?

"Can I kiss my brother?"

He nodded, and she kissed his forehead.

"Can my brother kiss me?"

Ren was suddenly on his way out of the house. "We better hurry. Father might change his mind," he said as he caught up with Horo Horo and Pirika, who was still fast asleep.

"Hey, who invited you?" snapped Horo.

"Where Pirika goes, I go."

"What are you, a parasite?" yelled Horo Horo. "Leave my sister alone!"

"Make me!" dared Ren.

"When we get home, you'll get what you're looking for, Rennie boy."

"Shut up!"

Jun hugged herself smilingly. "Now, he is happy."

Pailong nodded. "And you are happy too, Mistress Jun?"

"Very happy," said the young lady.

"Then I'm happy too," said the kyoshin, his gaze following the disappearing three figures walking away from the Tao mansion.

Shilva bowed before Yoh. "It will be my honor to serve you, young master."

"Hey!" said Yoh, sweatdropping. "No need to be so formal." He held out his hand. "It's cool to meet you too!"

Shilva blinked. The future shaman king sounded so laidback! This wasn't what he was expecting from a shaman blessed by the Best Place! "Er, cool to meet you too." He looked at the scorching sun, then back at the grinning future shaman king. "I will be your guide as you try to find your fiancée."

Yoh turned serious. He bowed gratefully.

"M-Master Yoh!" said Amidamaru and Shilva at the same time.

"Thank you so much," said Yoh. "I will forever be in debt to you."

Faust smiled. "Shilva is a priest who looks after the affairs of the shamans all over the world."

" I see."

Faust handed him a jar of ointment. "This might help. It's for treating wounds and injuries."

"Thank you."

"Women like Kyouyama Anna comes only once in a lifetime. Do your best to get her back." The blond man grinned. "I'm a doctor, and I'm not suppose to take sides, but when I saw Ms. Anna, I remembered my dear Eliza."

Yoh grinned back. "Thanks again, Faust."

"Shilva is with Asakura Yoh already," reported Zinc.

Hao nodded. "I see. Then that means, he would have more direction in his battles. Shilva is a sensible man." He then grinned. "Anna is coming. You better go back to your potatoes."

As his master ordered, the priest grumpily returned to peeling the skin of the potatoes off with a knife.

**tsuzuku**


	17. 17

I woke up late this morning, so I don't know if I'll be able to type this chapter properly. I'll make it up next time, and I'll wake up earlier. ^^

Shilva and Yoh sat down on a booth in a restaurant that afternoon. They decided to eat before going into the Izumo forest.

"I've heard of the legendary destroyer, Asakura Hao," said Shilva, pausing in between bites. "He was to be the shaman king five hundred years ago, only he turned out to be the omen of the world. He was rejected by the Great Spirits for his impure heart, so he vowed revenge. He promised to come back after five hundred years."

"And this is the year he promised to come back?" asked Yoh. The priest nodded. The future shaman king clenched his fists. "But what I don't understand is why he had to involve Anna too."

Shilva shrugged. "He may be one powerful figure, but he's still a human with needs and wants. Perhaps, your fiancée caught his fancy." The priest turned grave. "You have to be aware though, that Hao was already powerful five hundred years ago. What more now that it is five hundred years later?"

"Everything will work itself out," decided Yoh.

"And you have your friends to help you out," said a very familiar voice.

Yoh blinked, and the next thing he knew, Horo Horo and Ryu joined the booth.

"Wow, chocolate sundae! My favorite!" gushed Horo Horo, reaching for Shilva's ice cream.

"Hey!" complained the priest. "I'm not exactly done with that yet."

"You're a priest, right? Then you should know the value of charity." Horo proceeded to eat the dessert.

Ryu saluted at Yoh. "Like how bread and butter never part, how spoon is always with a fork, and how footlong sandwiches are linked to catsup, I will be by the side of the shaman king, my Master Yoh."

"I second that!" agreed Horo, then continued eating. 

"T-Thanks." Yoh then noticed the boy with the pointed hair standing by their booth awkwardly.  

Horo sighed. "Oh yeah, that's Ren Tao the Carabao. Wave to the shaman king, Rennie boy."

"Why you-" Ren took out his spear.

Yoh stood up. "Hi, Ren Tao….the Carabao?"

"It's Ren Tao, no more, no less," said the boy grumpily.

"He said that he's going to join us," said Ryu.

"I didn't say I would join you!" said Ren defensively. "I would just travel with you people to see Asakura Hao for myself."

"Why?" asked Shilva.

"Because I want to defeat him," said Ren. "And what do you care?"

The Asakura held out his hand. "No matter what your reason is, I am still glad to meet a new friend. I'm Asakura Yoh."

"I know who you are," growled the Tao. "My clan is your archenemy."

"I'm befriending you, not your clan," said Yoh, grinning. "Here, sit with us."

"No need. I'll just stand here," said Ren stubbornly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"OK then, you'll act as our bodyguard," said Horo, smirking.

"That's it!" Ren took out his spear again and was about to lunge on Horo when Kororo appeared, frowning.

Ren froze.

Horo smirked some more.

Ren stepped back, scowling.

"What's up with that?" asked Yoh.

Ryu answered for the two. "Pirika."

"Huh?"

Ryu began to narrate the scene in the house that morning.

"I want you two to become the best of friends," ordered Pirika over breakfast.

Ren nodded meekly, but Horo was dismayed.

"Me? Befriend that poor excuse for a compassionate human being?" Horo crossed his arms in front of his chest stubbornly. "No way José!"

"I'll re-launch the trainings Ms. Anna used to give you!"

Horo choked. He coughed. "Actually, I can be a really friendly person. In fact, I love meeting new people, sharing meaningful insights with them…"

"You can use a companion when I send you out," said Kino, joining them. She glanced at Ren, who paused uncertainly. Kino smiled at him, and he looked relieved. He bowed politely. She nodded and turned to the Ainu boy again. "You and Ryu will go after Yoh and secure him in his battles, do you understand?"

"Yup!" He grinned at Ryu, who was standing by the doorway, listening.

Kino turned to Ren. "You look like a strong fighter, young man."

Pirika nodded vehemently. "Oh yes! Ren is really cool! He can beat up an entire gang within minutes!" 

The boy's eyes widened. He then blushed profusely. "Um…"

"I can do that in one minute!" said Horo immediately.

Ren turned to Horo. "I can do that in half a minute if I want to!"

"A quarter of a minute!" said Horo.

"Half of a quarter!" said Ren.

"Quarter of a quarter!"

"Quarter of a quarter of a quarter!"

"Stop it!!!" screamed Pirika. The two boys immediately settled down.

Pirika sighed. "I don't want you two to fight. Both of you are important to me," she said softly.

The two looked embarrassed. 

"Sorry," mumbled Ren.

"Me too," said Horo. "Really sorry."

"Really, really sorry," said Ren, glaring at him.

"Really, really, REALLY sorry," said Horo, eyes on Ren again.

"OK, OK, break it up, you two!" said Pirika, holding out her arms in a time-out position. "If you two don't stop bickering…I'll…I'll cry!"

The two shut up.

She turned to Ren. "I want you to come with my brother. I know how mentally-challenged he is at times, and I know how sensible you are. Would that be ok to you?"

Ren nodded. "If that is what you want."

She turned to her brother next. "And I want you to take care of Ren, and I want you to expose him to as many friends as possible."

Horo sighed. "I'm sure that even Ms. Anna has more friends than this guy."

"What did you say?!!" demanded Ren, not knowing who that Anna was, but felt that that the boy was making fun of him.

"Stop it!" begged Pirika, sniffling.

"This is all your fault!" hissed Ren, inching towards Pirika to comfort her.

Horo slammed his snowboard on Ren. "Don't you dare touch my sister!"

"Waaaahhh!!!!!" hollered Pirika, nearly shattering the eardrums of the people within her ten mile radius.

Yoh nodded. "So that's what happened."

Ryu looked at Koloro. "If the two starts fighting again, Koloro would cry, and Pirika would hear it, then she would cry too."

Ren was muttering profanities under his breath while Horo Horo seemed to become more cheerful in eating the remaining sundae.

Shilva turned to Yoh, sighing. "You have such interesting friends."

"Yeah!" agreed the future shaman king, grinning.

"I'm going to go to the town square later," said Shilva. "I'm picking up the oracle bell."

"The oracle bell?" repeated everyone.

"The oracle bell," nodded the priest.

"Oh…the oracle bell," said Horo Horo, nodding.

"Do you know what is that?" asked Yoh, turning to Horo.

"Of course not."

The priest sweatdropped. At least he could count on one thing: he would never be bored around them.

Zinc and Anna were walking in the market, the former looking at the grocery list. "Ms. Anna?" said the priest.

Anna shrugged. "I know you don't respect me, so you can omit the courtesy title."

"It's good that you're aware," said the priest in a low voice. "I know you're manipulating Hao-sama because he's fond of you."

"It's not your business."

"It is," said the priest harshly. "Hao-sama is our pillar of strength. You're also degrading us when you're controlling him."

Silence.

"I don't know what kind of witchcraft you used on Hao-sama, but I caution you: be very careful. Don't let us catch you doing mischief, or all hell will break loose."

Anna smirked. "Didn't I tell you before? I am hell. Everyone else says so." She looked at him mockingly. "Good luck with the groceries." She walked away.

"Where are you going, Ms. Anna?"

She didn't answer him.

Jeanne was wiping the statues of saints in the church when Lyserg appeared. He instantly bowed. "Jeanne-sama."

"How was your trip?" she asked in her usual soft-spoken way.

"I met Asakura Yoh already, and he will really surprise you. H-He is not like Hao."

Jeanne nodded. "Why don't you tell me about it?"

Lyserg couldn't help but smile. The leader of the mighty X-Laws could be mistaken anytime as a shy, graceful young wife, with her tender smiles and perpetually subdued voice. "He is a laidback boy, and he hardly fits the character of the Destroyer. World domination is the last thing in his mind. That is what I inferred after talking to the people who are living with him."

"Have you talked to him personally?"

"He is sick with fever."

"I see." Jeanne went to the tabernacle and pulled out a small jar of menthol camphor. "Why don't you bring this to him?"

He accepted it. "Yes, Jeanne-sama." He was puzzled. The X-Laws target both Hao and Yoh, so why would Jeanne give medicine to the latter?

She read his mind. "First and foremost, before being the leader of X-Laws, I am a nun. Helping those in need is my vow."

He nodded.

"Go to him, and stay with him until he gets well. You can then ask him to go with you here. I want to talk to him."

"Yes, Jeanne-sama." He then looked down. "Ah…there's one more thing…"

She looked at him expectantly.

He brought a white rose out of his coat and handed it to her shyly.

"Shall I offer this to the statue of St. Therese or to St. Lucy?" she asked.

He cleared his throat. "A-Actually…" His voice rose barely above a whisper. "…this is for you." 

But since they were inside a church, his whisper echoed loudly inside the church.

Her eyes widened, then she smiled. "Thank you for the thoughtfulness."

Suddenly, he wanted to get out of the place. "E-Excuse me…"

He nearly jumped when he pushed the church door. Marco was waiting outside, looking grim.

"You do know that she is the leader of this group," he began.

Lyserg nodded meekly.

"Take your sinful eyes off her. There are a lot of women outside these doors. Do not touch Jeanne-sama." With that, Marco left.

Anna was walking aimlessly in the town square when she noticed a boy wailing at the corner of the market place as people passed by him, ignoring his antics. Having nothing to do, she drew closer to him.

A small, almost African-looking person was speaking, beside him an empty can labeled "Will Make You Laugh for a Penny".

"People, what do you think will happen when a cow crosses in the middle of an earthquake?" he asked.

No one answered. People just passed in front of him, ignoring him.

The boy was unfazed. "We'll have a milkshake, get it?" He laughed hysterically at his own joke, hoping his laughter would start other people to laugh too.

No one did. 

"Really lame," smirked one passerby who bothered to linger for a second in front of the boy.

The boy's eyes lit up. "T-Then I'll think of another joke!" He waved at the passerby who was rolling his eyes. "Thanks for the tip!"

He froze when he heard a coin drop in his can. He slowly turned to his left and found a poker-faced blonde girl standing in front of him, arms crossed.

"Y-You liked my joke?" asked the boy hopefully.

Anna shook her head.

The boy's face fell. He took the coin she dropped in his can and returned it to her. "I cannot accept this then."

She was puzzled. "You want a penny, right? You look like you haven't eaten for days. You will need that penny to nourish yourself."

"True," agreed the boy. "But I want your laughter more than this penny. Thank you again, but I have to refuse."

She looked at him with grudging admiration. "You better rest first. Your spirit is growing worried."

The boy was stunned. "Y-You can see…"

"I'm an itako," she explained. "Come with me."

"But my performance-"

"Your audience would have to wait," she said.

"Oh, alright."

The itako and the comedian ended up by the fountain in the town square. The boy, who introduced himself as Chocolove, proceeded to eat his sandwich hungrily. Anna bit on hers delicately.

"Thank you again, Ms. Anna," said Chocolove gratefully.

Anna nodded, then looked down at her feet. His spirit, the jaguar, was lying by them comfortably.

"Mic likes you," said Chocolove, delighted. He noticed her small smile as she petted the spirit. "You know, smiles like yours should be captured."

Anna turned to him. 

"When I first looked at you, I thought you were a person who had abandoned her smile already. But right now…" He beamed. "I realized how wrong I am."

She stiffened.

Chocolove looked up at the sky. "People like you are my inspiration in wanting to become a comedian. I want to tell everyone that only laughter can save the world wrapped by superficialities like money and power, and that laughter is life." He turned to her. "What are the things that can make you laugh?"

She was speechless. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember. But all of a sudden, she remembered her first meeting with Yoh in the brook. Her mouth curved slightly.

Chocolove grinned. "Whatever is it that causing you to smile like that is truly worth my admiration."

"Am I that bad?" she asked softly.

He grinned sheepishly. "Tell you what, if you laugh at my joke, then I won't say you are that bad, ok?"

She nodded.

"My story is about a boy named Lazy John. Lazy John lives to be lazy. He spends his everyday life under a tree, looking up at the sky, playing tunes in his walkman, then eventually, falling asleep. He would wake up at night to only fall asleep again."

"One day, he finds an apple hanging by a tree. He was too lazy to reach for it, so he decided to lie down directly under the tree and just wait for the fruit to fall down on him all by itself. He waited on it to fall for six days and five nights, but on the seventh day, just as it was about to fall, a wind blew on it, and the apple was thrown some feet away from the dismayed Lazy John. He was too lazy to get up and pick up the fallen fruit, so he decided to stay under the same spot and wait for a new fruit to sprout…" Chocolove stopped talking when he heard a soft giggle. He turned to his lone audience and was pleasantly shocked to see Anna giggling quietly. He watched her for a few more moments, stunned.

But then, the girl's eyes began to well up with tears. Soon she was sobbing quietly. "Yoh…" she whispered, voice tight.

The boy was instantly apologetic. "I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry." 

She stood up and rubbed her eyes shamefully. "I better go." She moved too quickly and her bandanna around her neck loosened. It fell down to the ground.

"Hey wait!" Chocolove stood up, but stumbled. When he got up, Anna was gone. Only her scarlet bandanna remained.

"So this is the oracle bell," said Yoh as he peered at it. "What does it do?"

They were in the town square already, and Shilva was talking to his fellow priest.

"Does it ring?" asked Horo, snickering.

"Yes, it does," said Shilva, sighing. "This is like a pager. We can contact each other in case we get separated."

"This would be handy," said Yoh, trying it on.

On the other side of the stall, Anna was looking at the oracle bells too. She was partly hidden from view because of the priest. She touched them, and tried to imagine that if she was still with the Asakuras, she would surely buy one and force Yoh to wear it so she can track him wherever he goes. How she wished she could see him again. She wanted to see him try the oracle bell on.

She shook her head. No need making herself suffer. She wouldn't see Yoh again anyway. She turned her back and hurried away, just as the vendor turned to his back.

"That's funny," said the priest.

"Huh?" asked Yoh.

"I thought I sensed that there's someone checking out my wares behind me." The priest sighed.

"You're getting paranoid," sighed Shilva, who was putting the oracle bell on Ryu.

Soon, Yoh and the gang were walking out of the town square when they noticed a guy squawking by the fountain area. Some people are watching him.

Shilva sighed. "I often see him here, trying to earn money by making people laugh. The thing is, no one is laughing at his jokes."

The crowd watching the boy erupted into laughter.

"You were saying?" said Horo, smirking.

"He must be good," said Yoh. "I'm going to watch!"

"But-" Shilva sighed.

"Me too!" said Horo Horo.

Ryu ran towards the crowd. "Me too! Wherever Master Yoh is, I'll follow."

Ren muttered and followed them too. 

The priest sighed, then followed them too.

"So Lazy John waited for the new apple to sprout, and it took him another year before he could finally eat!" finished Chocolove as the audience clapped. He wanted to cry at that very moment. The girl he met awhile ago must be a fairy who touched him and blessed him! People are starting to like his jokes!

"That was great!" He heard a boy say. "Master Yoh, maybe Lazy John is your lost relative or something!"

"Yeah!" agreed the boy with earphones on both sides of his head. He was still clapping enthusiastically.

"Yoh?" said Chocolove suddenly, silencing the crowd.

The earphoned-boy paused. "Yes, why?"

"Y-You…you are Yoh!" whispered Chocolove, eyes sparkling.

"Y-Yes…I am Yoh!" whispered Yoh, nodding, as if the secret of the size of the universe was unlocked.

Horo Horo rolled his eyes as he stopped Ren from stabbing Yoh with his spear. "Easy. Master Yoh will always be like that. Get used to it."

"@#$%…" was all Ren could mutter.

"You are Ms. Anna's Lazy John!" cried Chocolove, hugging him

Yoh froze. "Anna?" 

Anna was in the forest again, playing a soft, melancholic music with the leaf. Hao watched her thoughtfully.

"You…cried," he said at last.

She didn't reply. She continued playing.

Hao's heart was breaking with the sadness of her music. He clenched his fists. "STOP IT!!!"

She was startled, and she dropped the leaf on the ground. It was the first time that he raised his voice on her.

"Forget him already! I am here!" he said angrily. "And I won't make you cry the way he's doing to you."

"I'm crying with my free will," she said quietly. "Leave Yoh out of this."

"Forgive me," he said, calming down. "I just don't like seeing you sad."

"Don't look at me then."

Hao felt his mouth twitch. He stood up and sat down beside her, then clasped her hands. "You are bad for my health. You can make me change my mood so quickly without a valid reason. You can make me mad, but you can make me laugh. You can irritate me at times, but you can make me so happy most of the time." 

Anna looked at him and was startled when for the first time ever, she saw his eyes open with emotions – a turmoil of confusion, amusement…and fear?  And…love?

It couldn't be. Dakedo…

"And I want you to know that…" His head laid itself on her shoulder. "…you are so dear to me, Anna."

**Tsuzuku**

Waaah!!! I'm late again for Mickey Mouse' class! He's going to drop me already, I know he will! Computer Programming is 3 units! Waaah! Next time, I'll wake up earlier so I would be able to type earlier too.

BTW, Lazy John is based on our own folktale of the immortal Juan Tamad, just in case you guys want to know.


	18. 18

"You're leaving again, Prince Lyserg?" asked Millie, sniffling, as she watched Lyserg pack his things.

"I'm sorry, Mille, but you see, I have this big job to do," apologized Lyserg, smiling.

"I want to come! I want to come with you!" she said, stomping her feet.

 Ellie came up from behind. "Millie, the place he's going to doesn't allow children."

"He's a kid too," she pointed out.

"Millie, come here," said the green-eyed boy, patting the space in the bed beside him. She obediently sat down beside him.

She gasped when he suddenly hugged her to his chest.

"We might not see each other again after this, because I'm going to a really far place, and going back will not be easy," he explained, exhaling deeply. She was about to protest when he laid his finger lightly on her lips. "Hush. Listen to me first, sweetie. I don't want to put your life into danger, so as your prince, I must see to it that you remain safe. If you come with me, my attention will just be divided, and I won't be able to defend you."

Her eyes welled up with tears. "I'll just be a deadweight…"

"Millie…"

She shook her head vehemently. "You'll see, Prince Lyserg! When I grow up, I'll be strong enough to defend myself, so I can go anywhere you go, without being a burden. I'll be a really strong shaman."

He nodded. "I will wait."

"Yes, you will!" said Millie. "Wait for me to grow up, then you come back here and make me your princess for real, ok?"

"Yes, little princess, I promise."

"Anna was here?!" exclaimed Yoh, accidentally slamming his fists on the table.

Chocolove nodded and passed to him the red bandanna she left while hurrying away awhile ago. "This belongs to Ms. Anna."

Yoh, Chocolove, and the gang were seated in a restaurant. They pulled the boy out from his performance when they learned that he had contact with Anna.

Yoh took the bandanna, eyes shaking. "I just missed her by minutes…"

"Master Yoh…" Horo patted his shoulder.

"She was really one-of-a-kind. I really thought she was a muse who stepped down from heaven to bless me," said Chocolove.

Horo sighed. Nothing scarier than a rabid devotee of the Worship Anna Kyouyama Movement.

"Did she tell you where she would go?" asked Yoh.

"I wish she did, but she was really in a hurry," said Chocolove, shrugging helplessly. He gazed at the boy  who was the fiancé of Anna. No wonder she burst into tears! Asakura Yoh and Lazy John were similar in so many ways! _She must care for him a lot, although for the life of me, I cannot imagine why._

He then noticed the boy with the pointed hair that was introduced to him awhile ago as Ren Tao. "Does it always stick out like that?" he asked.

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Does it?" he asked. "And how many inches is it?"

He was promptly beaten up by the blushing Ren Tao.

"I was talking about his _hair_! What were you all thinking?" wailed Chocolove after Ren had exhausted all his furyoku on him.

Ren was muttering again. Horo Horo was laughing his heart out with Ryu. Yoh…

Chocolove could see that Yoh's mind was far, far away.

His thoughts were interrupted when they heard a shrill scream.

"Onii-chan!!! Ren-kun!!!"

Both boys froze. Pirika was running towards them, tagging Manta along.

"You forgot to take this along, Master Yoh," said Pirika, handing him the old tattered book. "Kino-sama was really furious when you forgot it."

Yoh grinned. "Thanks." He took the book and scanned the pages. Magic, chants, and power derived from all kinds of animate and inanimate things filled the leaves of the book. His forehead creased. Anna sacrificed her life for this, so he must see to it that he masters these powers.

He looked up just in time to see Horo and Ren starting another heated argument again.

"Leave my sister alone, you twerp!"

"I want to talk to Pirika as much as you do!"

"I'll never accept you as my brother-in-law! Come hell or high water!"

Ren's face flushed. "W-Why did we arrive in that topic?" He panickedly glanced at Pirika, who was talking to Kororo.

"Your own mother said so," smirked Horo. "But I won't let that happen, over my handsome and dashing heaven-sent body!"

"Which one won't you let happen, onii-chan?" asked Pirika, standing up cluelessly. She was hugging Kororo in her arms.

"Oh!" Horo raised his brow at the furious Ren. "We were talking about the future wedding that would have no future – because I said so – between Ren and…"

"Ren is going to get married?" she gasped.

"Damare!" he yelled at Horo. He turned to the girl. "P-Pirika, he was just kidding. I-I'm not going to-"

"Liar!" said Horo, smirking some more. "You said-"

Ren stomped on Horo's foot. "I said NOTHING!!!"

Yoh smiled. Who would have known that beneath Ren Tao's snobbish ways lies a shy boyish heart?

Pirika was still clueless, even when Ren and Horo started to challenge each other in a shaman match.

That afternoon, Pirika busied herself in treating Ren's wounds. "I thought you were sensible. Why did you challenge my onii-chan to a battle?" They were already in the foot of the first forest they decided to try.

"Sorry," he mumbled, unable to look at her in the eye. They were so intimately close…He watched the creamy-skinned hand wiping his bruises with a brownish concoction. He wanted to clasp that hand with his _badly_.

"Are you sure you're not going to marry anyone yet?" she asked icily.

He vehemently shook his head.

"Good," she mumbled, her eyes shyly returning to his bruises.

Horo fortunately, wasn't hearing any of Ren and Pirika's conversation. He was talking to Manta.

"You mean, Faust has an oracle bell too?" said Horo excitedly. "And he's staying in the Asakura House?"

Manta nodded.

"Let's send Tamao a message!" Horo took out his oracle bell and started to punch on its keys furiously.

"What is he doing?" asked Amidamaru, amazed.

"Texting," sighed the midget.

"What's that?" asked Tokageroh, Ryu's power spirit.

"You send a condensed message and it will reach the person you're contacting immediately," explained Ryu.

"Can I contact my mom then?" asked Tokageroh, sniffling. "I miss her so much."

"Um, I'm not sure if the signal can reach the other world," said Manta, sweatdropping.

"Message sent!" announced Horo Horo, throwing his fist into the air in victory.

True to Manta's words, a beep came in minutes after Horo sent a message.

"What did she say?" asked Amidamaru, floating towards the Ainu boy.

"I texted her 'Good night, sweet dreams. Dream of me and only me tonight!'." Horo read the message. "She said, 'I don't want to have a nightmare tonight. Good night still, and if you dream of other girls tonight, don't you even think of returning to the Asakura House again'." Horo hugged his oracle bell to his chest, sighing. "She's crazy about me!" he yelled.

Another beep. Horo read the message.

"Faust is going to sleep already. Don't text me again for tonight. Bye!" read Horo, sighing. "I really should send Tamao her own oracle bell."

"Oracle bells can be used only by shamans," said Shilva, joining them around the bonfire.

"She has powers too." Horo sighed. "As soon as we finish this journey, I'll go right back home into the Asakura bath and relax. Then I'll ask her to massage me."

Anna looked up at the night sky, relishing the silver moonlight kissing her. She stifled a gasp when she felt arms wrap around her neck.

"It's cold out here," said Hao lazily, burying his face on her hair.

She shook her head. "I'm not yet sleepy. I want to walk for awhile."

"Alright, as my lady wants." He took off his cape and placed it around her shoulders. "Don't wander off too far. Shall I ask Zinc to accompany you?"

She quickly shook her head. Hao immediately understood. "Be careful, Anna," he murmured. "Please come back."

Yoh was already reaching the first quarter of the book contents. Already, he had learned a lot, yet he couldn't concentrate. He couldn't stop thinking of Hao and Anna. He shifted his position from sitting on a tree branch. He knew how powerful Hao was, but he just couldn't hand Anna and the fate over the world to him!

_I have to be stronger._

_I must._

He stiffened when he heard something rustle in the pages of the book. He inspected the cover curiously. What was making the book sound?

To his shock, the book suddenly lit up, revealing two shikigamis. The two looked very fierce, and very excited to kill him. He gulped, then looked at his katana. Could he pull this off even without Amidamaru by his side?

No time to think now, because the shikigamis were heading his way! He jumped down from the branch and rolled down the grass. Just as he was about to stand up, the shikigamis attacked him again, this time, coming from two separate directions! He was going to get sandwiched!

"What do you think are you doing, standing there doing nothing?" boomed a familiar voice.

The next thing he knew was that the shikigamis were being held by prayer beads. Anna was standing in front of him, forehead creased.

"A-Anna?" he murmured incredulously.

**Tsuzuku**

_I have to cut it there. The power will be interrupted any minute now. ^^;; I'll make it up in the next chapter, just please bear with Syao-chan._


	19. 19

With this fic reaching the finale soon, I shall soon upload a brand new AU Yona fic. I hope that you read and enjoy that fics as much as you do with Anna and the King.

Overview: Anna is a priestess who is revered by the mountains as their mediator to the spirit world. However, the Great Spirit requires that she must have a man with her to fully realize her powers. She must find the Adam right away. In a twist of fate, she ends up traveling with Asakura Yoh, and together they look for a fitting husband for her. Would it be Ren Tao? Asakura Hao? Or the one person she failed to notice at once?

Yes, it's cliché, and yes, it's predictable, but I hope you still give the fic a try. It won't be as ridiculously long as this fanfic, I promise. ^^;; And the plot is still a tentative up to now. If you guys have suggestion, don't hesitate to email me. Just don't suggest shounen ai, PLEASE? ^^;; I'm not good at writing those stuff.

_Bratty, I was talking about the "Rennie Boy" nickname. ^^ What a cute pet name for Ren Tao!_

_Jess-chan, salamat as pagbabasa mo lagi ng fanfic ko. ^^ Eres, Cole (Dakilang Hao/Anna supporter), Kataru…tenk u tlaga. Kakagigil tlaga ng boses nina Hao at Lyserg, no?_

_Yoh/Anna for this chapter, with a twist on the end! (and I'm not talking about Pepsi.) Cole, pag nagreklamo ka pa nyan, tatadyakan kita sa dibdib. (joke, joke, joke!)_

----

"Anna…?" Yoh was paralyzed. He couldn't believe that his fiancée was standing before him.

She tightened the beads around the shikigamis. "Move! Get Hao's book and read what we should do with these!"

"Y-Yes!" Yoh quickly opened the book and scanned the pages. At last, he found the needed directions. "We need to imprison it in a talisman!"

"Take your necklace off and throw it down the ground!" she instructed.

He looked at the tusk band around his neck, then nodded.

She chanted a prayer and raised her prayer beads. She poised her fingers towards the necklace, and the shikigamis dissolved into the necklace.

They were engulfed by a white light, but it slowly disappeared, leaving both of them standing in the stillness of the night.

Anna dropped down to the ground, panting. Yoh immediately rushed to her side. "Anna, Anna!"

She nodded, and forced a smile. "H-Hi…long time no see-"

She stopped when he suddenly pulled her to his embrace, laughing. "Anna! It's really you!" He hugged her tighter, afraid that he would lose her once he lets go. "Anna, I missed you!"

She felt her own eyes well up with tears. "Idiot. Have you forgotten that I'm the one who's making you suffer with inhuman trainings? Why would you miss me?"

He was still laughing, so she could not get an answer from him.

She sighed and untangled herself from his arms. "I thought you've read Hao's book? Why do you still need saving then? If I haven't come…"

Yoh grinned. "Thanks."

She sighed and picked up his tusk band. She handed it to him. "Here." He took it. She continued to speak. "In case Amidamaru isn't with you, you can use these shikigamis for your oversouls. They're pretty powerful- they nearly drained all my strength!"

His eyes grew worried. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, smiling. _Everything feels alright, because you're here._

Yoh grinned. "Chocolove is right! Your smiles really need to be captured! They come rarer than Halley's Comets, and are much prettier too!"

She blinked, then turned her back on him, pretgnding to look for something. Just so she could hide the faint blush on her cheeks.

He raised the book. "It's with me."

"H-Hai." She faced him again. "You better finish that book soon. Hao is staying in the same forest too, and you can't face him with the status of your power now…"

"I know," he said seriously. "I'm going to read it now, but…" He rubbed his cheek.

"But…?" she prompted.

"Will Anna join me and help me in reading this stuff?" He held up the book again. "It's quite thick."

She allowed a smile on her face again. "As her blockhead fiancé wishes." She sat down beside him, and he opened the book to read again, inspired. Why wouldn't he, when his fiancée was sitting next to him, after days of separation?

"I can still remember," he started to say as he leafed through the pages of the book again. "The first time we met in the brook. When I saw you lying there, sleeping naked. Ne, I don't know how to react at first, but like an instinct, I pulled off my shirt and placed it on your back. That's when you woke up and slapped me." He grinned. "Boy, I can't forget that! It was the first time somebody slapped me! And a total stranger, at that."

"It was I who lost more in that incident," she protested. "No one had ever seen me naked before!"

"You were given birth by your mother _dressed up_ already?" he said, eyes wide, as if everything was possible when it comes to the itako.

She sighed. "Fine. No guy has ever seen me like that before."

He laughed. "Well, come to think of it, I wasn't able to pay too much attention to that fact that you were…um…naked." He grinned sheepishly. "I was looking at your face…it's so nice to look at."

"I-It is?" she asked. She couldn't imagine that lazy bum Yoh Asakura could actually notice things like that!

He nodded. "You were dreaming, and you looked very relaxed. I want to see that face again," he said. "But I guess that won't be possible, unless I peek at your bedroom when you're asleep."

"You're doomed when I catch you do that, Yoh Asakura."

He grinned. "You even forgot to give me your name. That, or you deliberately left me in the brook."

"The second one," she said. "I don't like being indebted to other people."

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"Because I can live all by myself without the help of other people," she said, shrugging.

"That's sad," he said. "Does that mean you haven't felt what is it like to love?"

Her eyes widened. "W-Why did we reach that topic?"

He shrugged, then looked ahead. "Horo Horo told me something that his father told him before he died. Horo's father died of an illness that his wife learned of only when he was beyond saving. When Horo asked his father why he kept it a secret from his mother, this is what he said."

"Time will come when you will understand why I did that. When you find the woman you will love your entire lifetime, your wife, Horo Horo, you would feel a kind of emotion that you can only feel for her. You wouldn't want to hurt her, even just a little bit, and as long as it is possible, you try to keep her from getting hurt."

"Even if it hurts here," he pointed to his heart. "You will still endure the pain, if only to see your loved one happy. You will do everything for the woman you love."

Anna didn't comment. She merely listened.

"So…I kind of figured out that since you do not like being involved with other people…I thought…well… that you haven't fallen in love yet."  Yoh looked at the book, grinning tentatively.

"Love is a lke," she said quietly.

He looked at her. "Huh?"

"Love is a lie," she repeated. "It's an excuse for weak people who still need others to survive. I'm not like that. I can live on my own."

"But you're not on your own. I'm here. We're here for you," he protested. "Don't you know that?" he added softly.

She looked down. She couldn't stand his steady gaze. "But for how long? Eventually, you might get tired of understanding me. You'll go too. You can't be with me forever."

Yoh laid his head on his arms. "Well, you've got a point. Nothing is forever, only for always."

"Huh?" She didn't get it.

He merely smiled. "Remember, always is longer than forever. Forever is still measurable, you know. It is still a period of time, one that is uncertain. But always…it promises constancy and being there every time.  Forever may run out, but there are things that would still remain afterwards."

"Like?"

"Like love," he said, smiling at her.

"Who told you that?" She seriously doubted that the shaman had formulated such thing all by himself.

"It's a commonly known fact for people who had learn already how to love." He looked up at the moon. "Even when Horo's father died, it still feels as if he is there, watching us. He won't be around forever, but he'll stay in our hearts for always, because we love him." He turned to her. "Do you understand now?"

Anna wanted to cry. No one promised her that he would be there for her for always. She didn't understand…she couldn't comprehend. She knew all those chants, prayers and rituals, but of all the things, why didn't she know love?

_Because all my life, I've been alone._

"At some point, I might get fed up with trying to fathom why you refuse to have friends, dakedo, I won't leave." He pointed to his heart. "Because what my mind cannot reach, my heart can go beyond. I will then stop understanding you with my mind, and I'll start understanding you with my heart."

"Yoh…" Before she knew it, she was crying. All those years of bottling up all her emotions inside, they all broke out of her like water spilling from a dam. She wanted someone to understand her that way. She wanted to be cared for that way. She wanted to count on someone for always, without the fear of time, death, or distance taking that person away from her, the way it happened to her own loved ones.

Yoh was stunned. No, he couldn't believe that someone like Kyouyama Anna could cry so bitterly. He thought she was someone numb, unintimidated and unhurt anymore, because she carved her own stonewall around her heart. He thought she was someone emotions could never touch, whom tears could never erode.

He thought wrong. And he was sorry that he knew only now. Her pain could have been eased earlier. "Anna?"

She was still weeping.

He took off his shirt. "Here. Blow your nose."

She calmed a little, looking at him as if he just suggested that she tapdance. 

"I don't mind," he said, smiling. "It can make you feel better, I promise."

So she did, and he was right. She felt better.

He smiled and stroked her cheek. "Ne, Anna? I'm sorry I made you cry, but I'm glad you did anyway."

"I feel the same way," she agreed. "I feel so much lighter."

Yoh grinned. "Remember, you don't need to carry the burden all by yourself. I am here, and I'll be by you, now and for always."

She didn't want to start crying again, but his solemn vow was enough to make her do so again. Now she felt more at peace, knowing that if she falls, someone will catch her. If she turns to a wrong path, someone can bring her back. If she gets lost, someone can show her the way. She need not be scared of life anymore. She was alone no more.

Yoh would be there for her.

Now and for always.

And she realized that she wanted to promise that to him too.

"Now and for always, Yoh," she whispered, before contentedly laying her head on his shoulder, snuggling close to him.

Yoh smiled when he felt her warmth radiating on his skin. He heard her vaguely whisper"something, but decided that he must let her take a nap first before asking her what she said.

For thg meantime, he better get started on the book.

If he wanted to be worthy and deserving for Anna, he must become stronger.

It was near morning when Anna woke up. She looked up at the sky, then back at her self. She was lying in Yoh's arms, on the ground an opened book. His arms were around her, almost crushing her to his bare chest. She looked at his shirt, then decided to wash it on the nearby river.

While washing the cloth, she caught a glimpse of herself on the clear blue water. On her face was a blissful smile, one she would never imagine herself wearing under ordinary circumstances. Her face was glowing and her eyes were twinkling. If there was a visual definition of happy, she would surely fit the bill!

She looked at Yoh, who was still sleeping against the bark of the tree. Her smile of fondness widened. She went back to the tree and hung Yoh's shirt by the branch, letting it drip on the other side of the tree so Yoh wouldn't get wet. She then knelt next to him and touched his hair.

"Last night was the best thing that ever happened to me," she told the sleeping Yoh. "I would treasure and cherish it all throughout my life. You saved me, and I didn't even know that I was drowning already before you came into my life."

"I have found already the person I will love in my lifetime, and now I understand. I don't want to hurt him even a bit, so I would have vo do this. I'm sorry I have to this, but I don't want him to be hurt if possible." She clasped his hand with hers and brought it to her heart, where he rightfully belongs. "Even if it hurts here, I will endure the pain, because I want to see him safe. I cannot say if he will be happy, because he himself doesn't really know what makes him so."

"I will do anything for the person I love the most. I would do anything for you, Yoh." With that, she bent down and planted a light kiss on his forehead. "Goodbye. My last time I would say this…and it hurts…so much." Tears were threatening to spill down her cheeks again. "No regrets, Yoh. I wish you'll be happy all your days, because I know I will too, if only for last night."

Hao was sitting by the tree branch when Anna arrived, quieter than usual.

"I know where you've been." He wasn't angry. He was lonely.

"I came back, just as you wished," she sakd, the blank voice returning. She had to be strong, for Yoh's sake.

"Shall I bake you a cake then to"say my thanks?"

"Hao," she began, calling him by his first name for the first time.

He observed that. "What is it?"

"I'm…I'm…" She dropped down to her knees. "Hao…please don't continue with your plan anymore. Let's just leave this place. D-Don't take your revenge anymore. You have already shamed Yoh and his family. Isn't that enough?" 

Hao clenched his fists. "Anna…"

"I-If something happens to Yoh…" she whispered, voice tight.

"No, please. Don't do this." It was now Hao begging.

"T-Then let's just leave this place quietly and let them go back to their peaceful lives," she said.

He looked at her for a moment, looking grim. "You love him that much?"

"Hao…"

"Alright," he said at last. "But in one condition…"

She looked at him expectantly.

"Marry me."

**Tsuzuku**

 Hai, hai. I know marriage proposals between pre-teens are really weird, but you see, Hao is a man figuratively, so I figured out that he should understand what marriage is. As for Anna, she's too mature for her age, so I thought that her mind is ready for such thing.

*yawn* It's past elgven. Gotta go back to sleep.  Nighty-night!

*Omake*

Syao-chan's site is down because of bandwidth, so she decided to post her interpretation of Omakage in this fic. ^^ Don't take me too seriously.

So the scene starts with a vulnerable Anna hugging herself while standing up against a black background and on shattered glasses... BAREFOOTED. Then she herself breaks. *snicker* I know, I know! That was for artistic effect, but while I'm typing this, I couldn't help but laugh.

**at the sideview of the face reflected in the mirror  
I place you over iv and  
my heart is breaking  
like the passing wind  
I can't catch it why is it you? **

That explains why we've got rotating pieces of glasses with images of Anna, Yoh, and Hao. And Hao??? Wooh, I smell romantic competition!

*cough cough*

In my interpretation, Anna's the mouthpiece of the song again. Here it goes...the 'you' she's referring is Yoh. ^^ Her heart is breaking because she cannot "catch" Yoh's heart, elusive as the wind.

**the finger tips that will never reach  
I hold them alone  
the words that will never be exchanged are  
drifted into the stars in the night sky**

Anna can't "catch" Yoh, thus the fingertips that will never reach. And since she can't catch Yoh, of course, she's alone. ^^;; 

* cough cough *

since she is alone, the words she want to say Yoh (the nice ones), she throws into the wind - a.k.a she decides to shut up and don't tell him anymore.

In the animated theme, Anna is seen crawling in a dark floor full of broken pieces of glass, a couple of them resembling some parts of Yoh...and Hao. *yum yum* How she managed to get out of that floor without getting cut or wounded is not part of my interpretation. All I know is she stood up and threw the pieces of glass on the air, not caring whether the pieces might fall on her. Perhaps, she is not yet aware of the danger of excessive hemorrhage in case something happens.

**I won't turn back  
ah even sadness, even loneliness  
is the proof that we were born  
ah the flowing  
end of my heart  
I made up my mind**

But she won't surrender, because she accepts that sadness and loneliness as proof of existence - she is hurt, therefore she is still alive. All thanks to Yoh's clueless ness. That should motivate Yoh to ignore her more! *snicker snicker* 

Flowing end of my heart? Perhaps that's blood - a piece of the shattered glass you threw on the air awhile ago accidentally stabbed your chest! Waahahaha, Anna is really cute! ^^ Kidding aside, in the animated theme, in this part, the broken glasses began to mend again, showing Yoh...and Hao! And Hao! Goddamit! It's really Hao/Anna/Yoh! Rejoice!

As "I made up my mind" flashed, a scene showing Anna touching Yoh's reflection is shown. Whew! So, Anna made up her mind that it's Yoh after all.

And that ends our mini interpretation. ^^ 


	20. 20

Whew! Hao's latest stunt must have shaken the Yona fans. Here is a breather then… a Lyserg/Jeanne break. I'm not sure about the age of the characters so I made up my own ages. You can inform me later on how old the two really are.

Jess, yung sampalan blues, next Thursday. Episode 39, binilang ko na. ^^

Lyserg put on his cap then closed his suitcase. He was going to follow Yoh into the Izumo forest, and at the same time, target Hao. Justice would finally be delivered.

He dropped by the chapel, hoping to see Jeanne even for the last time. He failed to see even her shadow, and he noticed Marco standing by the altar, watching him silently. He knew those measuring looks – Marco meant business when he told him to keep away from the young lady leader of the X-Laws.

He knelt on the pew and made the sign of the cross. He would hang out here for a few more minutes, hoping that he would be able to see Jeanne.

As he closed his eyes, he suddenly remembered his past.

 Lyserg knelt before the grave of his deceased parents. He was still in a daze – just this morning, he was given a mystery by his father: one that if he would find, he would have access to his special twelfth birthday gift.

"You will find it where the twelve cats chasing a mouse would run to," said his father, winking.

It took him quite a while to solve the mystery, but then he remembered a nursery rhyme, something about the mouse running up a clock. There was only one prominent clock in London, the Big Ben. He dashed towards it excitedly, and indeed, twelve minutes after one in the afternoon, he heard a peculiar sound. A glittering key then fell from the second hand of the clock.

He ran back home to tell his parents proudly how he solved the case, only to find a nonchalant long-haired boy standing in front of his burning house.

"Your father was stubborn," he said, shrugging. "Things would have been much easier for him if he was more cooperative." He then passed by him, as if nothing happened.

"Who are you?" he managed to choke out.

"Asakura Hao." The stranger turned to him, smiling. "I know that we'll meet again. Till then, train hard so you can wound me even a little."

And now, here he was, crying in front of the graves. "I will kill you, Asakura Hao. Even if that's the last thing I do, I'll kill you."

He gasped when he felt someone kneel beside him. He immediately took out his weapon around his arm and targeted the intruder, but to his surprise, it was a young girl, hair a glowing silver that contrasted with her big, scarlet eyes. She was dressed in a nun's clothes, and she was holding a bunch of flowers. She wasn't even fazed by his wild eyes. She continued to offer the white roses on the grave. She pressed her hands together and offered a silent prayer.

"Who are you?" he hissed.

She opened her eyes slowly. "I know that Asakura Hao was the one who did this."

He nodded slowly.

"He is blaspheming the sanctity of life," she said quietly. "The heavens shall punish him."

He couldn't speak. He lowered his arm. "I will kill him."

She turned to him and took something from her sleeve. She took out a beaded rosary bracelet and placed it around his wrist.

"Do not let wrath consume your soul, lest, evil shall take over you." She stood up. "If you want, you can drop by the church and visit the Lord. He can provide all the answers you seek right now."

"Y-You just said he was evil!" he said, confused. "Why are you disapproving my plan to kill him?"

"Because there is always another way," she explained. "The Gates of Babylon."

"The Gates of Babylon?" He stood up, hurrying after the nun. "Please tell me more!"

"Do not take revenge in your hands. Only God can give the right judgment as to what to do with each of us," she said calmly. "Don't worry. I will intercede for you. Leave all your hatred and offer them to the Lord, and he shall act."

"But the Gates of Babylon-"

She shook her head. "Do not even ask, because if you learn what it is, you will never be able to untangle yourself from the strings binding me."

He froze.

"If I tell you right now, you will be bound to join the X-Laws, and you will be involved in my crusades, and in turn, put your life in danger," she informed him. She bowed and walked away…

"Yet, even after what she said, I still went to the church the following day," mused Lyserg, standing up from the pew. Marco must have grown bored of watching him, so he was cleaning the tabernacle. He decided to sit down and wait for Jeanne for a couple more minutes.  

Lyserg arrived just in time to see Jeanne playing the church bamboo organ for a group of kids he inferred were from the convent's orphanage. He decided to sit and watch them for awhile.

He watched as she smiled her gentle, encouraging smile at the children, then looked back at her music sheet. Her long graceful fingers, slender as the long white candles hanging on the crystal chandeliers, created wondrous, heavenly music, so soothing that it was lulling him to sleep.

"Sister Jeanne, look! A boy is sleeping in the church!" cried a child suddenly, surprising both him and Jeanne. She turned to him slowly, and recognition dawned on her face.

"It's you," she said, smiling. She was about to stand up when he shook his head.

"N-No, do not worry about me. Just continue playing," he said, sweatdropping.

She smiled and nodded. They resumed the choir practice, and he just sat there, enjoying the divine notes touching every part of him gently.

"So you came after all," she said when the practice finished at last.

He nodded. "I have decided that I want to know the Gates of Babylon."

Her eyes shook. "You do know that you have a prize to pay – you will have to serve me."

He shook his head. "Even if I am not obliged to do so, I would do that. You saved me, so in return, I will serve you all my life. I'm ready to do that."

She paused, then sighed. "How can you say that? Do you even know my name?"

He shook his head.

"Do you know who I am? What I do?"

"It doesn't matter." He clenched his fists. "I will be part of the X-Laws and I will serve you."

She laughed quietly. "Perhaps, that means I can't change your mind. Alright, you shall be part of the X-Laws now." She then placed her hands behind her back. "Oh yes, I forgot to ask your name."

"Lyserg. Lyserg Diethyl."

"Lyserg," she said, nodding. "I'll tell you about the Gates of Babylon when the right time comes."

"Right," he nodded.

"You must not talk that loosely to our Jeanne-sama," a man snapped. He looked up and saw a white-clad figure glaring at him.

"Marco, please do not worry. I am not offended." Jeanne got up and bowed.

"Jeanne-sama," said Marco disapprovingly. "You are the Sarcophagus Lord. Reverence is the only thing we can give you."

"I shall address her as 'Jeanne-sama' then," he said slowly.

"Which is only right," said Marco, standing up. "Let's go, Jeanne-sama. One of Hao's henchmen may be spying on us already." He looked at Lyserg as if deciding whether he was worth trusting, or he was one of the deep-penetration agents he was fearing Hao would send them...

"What are you doing, communing with a blank wall?" asked Marco, who was standing in front of him already. Lyserg realized that it had been nearly ten minutes since he started to sit down and wait for Jeanne to come out, but he was out of luck today. He simply had to leave without seeing her angelic face even for the last time in quite a long, long while.

He got up meekly and went to the holy water stand. He made a sign of the cross and noticed the beaded rosary bracelet around his wrist. He then remembered another incident again.

Marco had asked him to clean the roof and repaint it, so he had to march up to the roof and do the tedious job all by himself. He was just placing the finishing coat of paint when his bracelet snagged on a loose piece of iron tile. He tried to pull it away, but it won't come undone. Perhaps, because of the scorching heat of the sun, he suddenly pulled the bracelet away with all his might, and the beaded rosary broke its string, sending its beads rolling down the sliding roof.

"No! Jeanne-sama gave me this!" He instantly set off into action, reaching for the beads. He was able to use the slickness of the paint to hasten his speed, so he was able to catch the beads. 

Except for the main crucifix itself.

He then noticed it lying perilously in the corner of the roof. He hesitated a little at first, but the desire to get back his memento was much stronger, so he gathered all his guts and crossed the dangerous sliding roof curve and tried to reach for it, but it fell down.

"Wait!!!" He dove down for his last ditch effort to get the crucifix back. In mid-air, he was able to get it back, seconds before he slammed down on the grassy ground.

He rubbed his aching back, wincing.

"Lyserg!"

He looked up and saw Jeanne rushing towards him, face worried. "Jeanne-sama!"

"W-What happened?" she asked, looking at him up and down for injuries.

He smiled and unclenched his fists. The glass crucifix was safe, along with the glass beads of the rosary bracelet.

"Lyserg…"she whispered.

With that, he fainted into her arms.

Only to wake up under the shade of a tree. His vision was partly covered by a handkerchief with a faint trace of a woman's perfume. He felt his mouth twitch. He loved the scent – it was relaxing, but not as relaxing as his position. He felt like he was lying on clouds.

"I'm glad you're awake," said Jeanne-sama's voice.

He blinked, then tried to get up, but a hand gently restrained his shoulders. 

"Rest, Lyserg. That was quite a fall," she advised.

He then realized that he was lying on her lap. On her lap?! Marco will crucify him if he finds them as cozy-looking as this!

He then remembered his manners. "I'm so sorry, Jeanne-sama, for making you worry. My rosary bracelet came undone, and the beads and the crucifix dropped down to the roof so I had to chase them." He took off the hanky from his eyes with reluctance just to look at the nun in the eye. "I don't want to break it, because it was your gift to me and-"

"I can always give you another one," she said.

He shook his head. "No, I do not want you to bother." He then reminded himself wryly that what he was doing now was a bother to the nun. He forced himself to get up. "I-I'm fine now, Jeanne-sama."

"That's good." She then took out something from her pocket and handed it to him.

"M-My rosary?" He couldn't believe that it was not broken anymore!

"I threaded them together awhile ago," she explained. "If you risked your life just to save it, then it must be really important to you." She placed it around his wrist. "This time, I ensured that I made use of my strongest wire string so it wouldn't come off easily."

"Jeanne-sama…" He still couldn't get over the kindness of their leader. Right there and then, his vow to protect her with his life was renewed.

Lyserg pushed the church doors out and dragged his suitcase outside. Morphine flew out from underneath his coat then looked at him.

He nodded at her. "Let's go and find the Asakuras."

While sitting on the train, Lyserg looked out at the window, his hand cupping his chin as he watched the bustle of the crowd. He shrugged. People think they are going places, when in reality, they are not. They were moving from one place to another like ants, but what they were doing was not fruitful at all.

"What a shame," he mused. "The people who are doubting Thomases."

"Hey, anyone here who knows Lyserg Diethyl?" The conductor of the train suddenly shouted.

His brow rose quizzically. What did the conductor care about him?

"There is a passenger looking for him!" He turned to the hat-covered trenchcoat-donning person beside him.

Lyserg sensed that it wasn't just an ordinary passenger. If Hao wants to play his game, then I'll show him I can play along too. He raised his hand. "That's me."

"There you go." The conductor gave the person the suitcase, and the trenchcoat figure staggered with the weight of the suitcase.

The dowser watched the person struggle to reach him, at the same time, carrying the suitcase. Finally, guilt came into him and he stood up on the aisle to meet the passenger and help him out. However, the passenger tripped on his coat and he fell down. Lyserg quickly acted to catch the person, just as the stranger's hat fluttered down to the floor.  He was stunned by how soft the body was beneath the heavy trenchcoat.

He blinked when he saw that the face buried on his chest was Jeanne-sama's.

"W-What are you doing here, Jeanne-sama?" He finally got to ask after a long session of apologies.

"I'm going with you," she replied.

"B-But it's dangerous, Jeanne-sama!" he protested. "Does Marco know about this?"

Her eyes twinkled, despite her even face. "No."

He sighed, deliberating what kind of homicide plans the over-protective X-Law would think of once he learns where Jeanne-sama was.

She turned to the window – he gave her the seat by it – and sighed deeply. "The vibes of Asakura Hao is changing…I cannot explain it. Believe it or not, it is weakening."

"Weakening?" echoed Lyserg in disbelief.

She nodded. "So I must go see him personally to check it out."

"It's dangerous!" he protested. "If you are going there, you should have asked the X-Laws to give you protection."

She looked down. "I'm sure they won't let me come along." In a softer voice, she added, "Besides, I trust you, Lyserg."

He felt his heart stop beating with what she said, and at the same time, he felt his throat go dry. His most revered Jeanne-sama trusts him?

She nodded and looked out at the window again, letting the wind play on her hair.

The dowser had to take a deep breath as he watched her. She looked so heartbreakingly beautiful, and even if his conscience was nagging him for admiring the holy Jeanne like so, he still couldn't stop himself from doing that.  It was as if even the wind loved her, for it breathed on her so lovingly, or why else would she look like as if she was posing for a painting even if she wasn't doing so?

He didn't know how long he had been looking at her. He snapped out of his trance when he felt her head lie on his shoulder. She was already fast asleep.

Jeanne-sama… Lyserg felt his face break into a smile, and carefully, he shifted closer to her and placed his hand on her head, pulling her close to him.

He knew he was in heaven.

**Tsuzuku**


	21. 21

I had to redo this chapter all over again because of unexpected brown-out, causing me to be unable to put the chapter into my diskette so I can upload it in another internet café. *sigh* Thanks for the corrections on the ages. ^^ I'll keep that in mind in the next fic. ^__^

_On to the ficcie!_

Zinc's eyes burned in fury as he watched Anna nod and Hao's face light up.

That scheming witch, manipulating our revered leader again. I won't let you get away with what you just did. You will pay dearly.

With that, he brought out his oracle bell.

"Hey, you're a priest, right," said Chocolove to Shilva. "I'll tell you a joke about priests!"

The priest sweatdropped. "I-I would rather not hear it."

Chocolove couldn't be stopped. "It's about two Catholic priests. They're talking about the church' rule on celibacy. One priest said, 'Hey, when do you think will the pope erase the vow of celibacy among us?'. His fellow priest, shrugging, said, 'Probably when all our children have grown up!'" He looked at them hopefully.

Everyone just looked at him, blinking.

The joker did not lose heart. "OK, how about another joke? This time, it's about an American, a Japanese, and a Chinese-"

Ren's spear quickly found its way threateningly to the comedian's chest. "Don't you even dare make fun of the Chinese peopole."

Ryu sighed. "I thought you had the worst sense of humor, Horo Horo, but this guy beats you hands down."

"Gee thanks," sighed Horo back, rolling his eyes. "Hey, did you guys see Master Yoh already? He wasn't with us last night."

Amidamaru suddenly appeared. "You mean Yoh-dono has not returned yet since last night?"

Manta looked concerned. "I wonder where he want."

Horo waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that fellow. He can take care of himself."

Suddenly their oracle bells rang simultaneously.

Horo frowned. "Don't tell me Tamao texted us all?"

Pirika hovered behind the shoulders of Ren and gasped when she saw the message, along with Chocolove, Shilva, and Ryu.

"Why? What's wrong?" asked Horo and Manta. The former read the message.

Asakura Hao is marrying Kyouyama Anna today at the foot of the holy mountain just beyond the Izumo forest.

"Damn," cursed the Ainu under his breath. "Was Master Yoh taking his oracle bell along?"

The silence gave him the answer he most feared.

Lyserg jumped down from the cart where he and Jeanne rode on after they stepped down from the train. He then turned to the nun – who didn't look like a nun anymore. Gone was her ridiculously oversized trenchcoat – she was wearing a light blue dress that he only sees at times peeking beneath the hem of her nun habit. He decided to let her keep the hat though, because he knew that someone like her who was enclosed in an almost sunless existence in the convent might not like the extreme heat of the outside world.

Jeanne gathered the hem of her skirt, then looked at Lyserg. He nodded and opened his arms to catch her. She jumped gracefully down, and she was caught expertly by the dowser. In the split second intimate closeness between the, Lyserg was able to take in the flowery scent of the nun's hair tickling him lightly.

The farmer winked at them. "You two be careful. I reckon that the young lad there can take care of you, pretty miss, but the Asakura clan…they're not the people you should mess with at all."

She nodded gratefully. "Thank you for allowing us to hitchhike up to this point."

"My pleasure!" He tipped the rim of his hat up before riding away. "You two look lovely together!"

Jeanne blinked, while behind her, Lyserg felt his jaw drop as his face turned several shades of scarlet.

The cart was long gone, but the two were still standing there. She turned to the dowser suddenly. "Lyserg-oh!" Her eyes widened when she saw how _colorful_ his face was. "Are you ok? Are you running a fever?" She reached out and touched his forehead.

Her skin sent thousands of shivers up and down his spine. He panickedly bowed. "I'm so sorry, Jeanne-sama!"

"For what?" she asked, forehead creased.

"N-Nothing! I-I mean…" He turned to the suitcases. "Let's go. We still have a long way to walk."

She tried to reach for her suitcase, but he held it out of reach. "Don't worry about your baggage. You just concentrate on walking, Jeanne-sama."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" he squeaked, only too glad to hide his flushed face behind the bulky luggage.

Unfortunately, his vision was hindered by the bags too. He didn't notice a stone on his path – well, he did, but by that time, he had already stumbled to the ground, and the suitcases flew open, clothes spilling all over the ground.

"Oh dear!" Jeanne knelt down and began to repack the spilled clothes.

"I'm sorry!" he said, quickly kneeling beside the nun. He had more clothes scattered on the ground, but he opted to help her first. He reached for a small piece of pink cloth, thinking it was a hanky. He tried to fold it on his lap, but then realized that he was holding something triangular in shape, and it even had a lace ribbon on it.

Jeanne looked on. "Lyserg," she said quietly. "That's my underwear."

"Aaahh!!!" He panickedly tossed the cloth into her suitcase. "I-I'm so sorry, Jeanne-sama!"

She giggled quietly.

"J-Jeanne…sama?" Good heavens, when will his stupid antics ever end? And in front of his Jeanne-sama?

"I can take care of my things. You better handle yours," she suggested.

"R-Right." He proceeded to pack his own clothes back. He couldn't help himself though when he suddenly wanted to look at her. He stole a glance at her and saw that she was smiling to herself, cheeks slightly pink. His heart ached peculiarly.

Had our circumstances been different… 

He shook his head vehemently. What was he thinking, crushing on the young, pious leader of the X Laws?

Dakedo, she is so cute… 

His thoughts were interrupted when his oracle bell rang. He frowned when he read the message.

"What is it, Lyserg?" she asked.

"Hao is…marrying Yoh's fiancée." He didn't know what to make out of the news. "What is happening?"  
"We better hurry then," said the nun. He nodded in agreement.

Tamao stifled a gasp. Faust had just read to the entire Asakura clan the news from the oracle bell.

Kino merely sipped her tea calmly. "I had seen this coming. Hao is really interested with her. He wouldn't just give the Super Notes on Shamanic Powers so easily without him benefiting from it."

Yohmei sighed. "I wonder what happened to Yoh."

"What was Ms. Anna thinking?" wailed the maid. "Doesn't she believe that Master Yoh can defeat Hao and become the shaman king? Is being the wife of a shaman king, regardless who that person is, the only thing important to her?"

Kino put down her cup. "Anna believes in Yoh, even more than any of us. She must have a reason for agreeing to do that."

Yohmei stood up. "Faust, can you do me a favor?"

The doctor nodded politely.

"Please walk this way," said the grandfather, standing up and putting his hands behind his back. He limped towards the sacred altar room of the house.

Faust stood up and crossed his hands behind his back too and limped out of the room too.

Tamao sweatdropped.

"Damn!" cursed Yoh, punching the bark of the tree with his bare fist. The portion of the tree turned into fine dust at once. He didn't care whether blood was running down freely from his wounded fist. His mind was in a turmoil.

This morning when he woke up, he was expecting to see Anna beside him. Instead, he was awakened by the ringing of the oracle bell, revealing the news.

"I don't understand…why did Anna leave…just when I was about to tell her…how much she means to me…how I will strive to be the shaman king just for her…" He blinked back a tear. "Damn, what am I doing? Crying will accomplish me nothing!" He punched the tree beside him repeatedly. "Damn, damn, damn!!! I will not forgive you, Hao. Of all the things you can take from me, why her?" He looked up at the holy mountain.

He could feel his chest wanting to explode.

"Hao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he yelled in burning wrath. 

Horo Horo and the gang heard Yoh's shout.

"Uh-oh," sighed Chocolove.

"He knows already," said Ren, exhaling deeply.

"I've never heard Master Yoh sound so mad…" whispered Pirika.

"Let's go," said Horo, taking his snowboard. He turned to the wide-eyed girl. "Go back home and tell the Master and Mistress Asakura about this."

"I'm coming with you!" said the girl determinedly.

"No, Pirika," said Horo. "It's too dangerous!"

"I'm coming with you!" she screeched in her high-pitched voice. She began to stomp her feet on the ground. "I'm coming with you! I'm coming with you! I'M COMING WITH YOU!!!"

Horo looked at the others for help, but no one wanted to help him calm down his hyper sister.

"Be quiet, Pirika!" boomed Ren, stepping towards her.

She paused. "R-Ren?"

"Do what your brother says. He's right. The place we're going to is too dangerous. Once we step in there, both he and I would lose the power to protect you, because we are even uncertain about protecting our own selves."

Pirika wept loudly. "B-But…but…"

He knelt before her, his face less harsh. "Go home and help Tamao prepare a victory feast for us."

"A victory feast?" she echoed.

He nodded. "Yup. We'll need that when we celebrate. When we come back, both Yoh Asakura and Anna Kyouyama will be with us, and I'm sure Yoh and your brother would be hungry as a horse."

Her eyes widened. "I'm scared…" she murmured. "What if no one comes back for the victory party?" She was scared of not seeing any of them again, especially him and her brother. That was why she didn't want to part them from her sight.

"We will, I promise," said Ren. "I love dumplings. I would like it very much if you cook some for me."

"I'm a good cook," she said slowly.

"That's right," agreed Horo Horo, kneeling beside Ren. "Dumplings are a favorite of your onii-chan too, right?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes! Especially when dipped into peanut butter!"

Behind them, everyone stuck their tongue out. "Yuck!!!"

Horo narrowed his eyes at them. "I happen to have a _diverse_ culinary taste."

"So prepare lots of dumplings for us, ok?" said Ren, smiling, smoothing her hair.

She nodded tearfully.

"And Ren and I will have a dumpling eating contest." Horo messed her hair fondly.

Ren glared at Horo. "Hey! What are you doing to Pirika?"

"Hah! You're not exactly a hair salon expert so stop snapping! " yelled Horo back.

Pirika's eyes shook. _This will be all over soon, and we'll have that victory feast, where Ms. Anna and Master Yoh would have a scolding session again, and onii-chan and Ryu are fighting over the last piece of shrimp, and Tamao would be hitting my brother with her spoon. Onii-chan would tease her, then I would laugh…_

She looked at the arguing Horo and Ren. _And Ren would join us up too. This will be all over soon._

She suddenly threw herself to both boys, hugging them. "Take care on your way! Both of you must come back safe, ok?"

Horo grinned. "Sure, sis."

Ren smiled. "Yes, Pirika."

Yohmei handed Faust a sword. "Bring this to my grandson. Make sure that this not fall to the enemy's hands."

The doctor bowed.

Hao handed Anna a box.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Open it, so you would know," he said, smiling.

She did, and the beautiful pale pink off-shoulder gown she saw in the wedding shop was revealed. Her eyes shook when she saw petals of cherryblossoms overflowed from the box.

Hao seemed to enjoy the look on her face. "You will wear this later."

She nodded. It would had been her happiest day…

…if her groom would be Asakura Yoh.

She looked at Hao, then smiled timidly. Maybe if she pretended to see him as Yoh, she would be happy. 

In the end, she decided that Hao was too kind to be treated that way. Placing Yoh's personality on him was not right.

Besides, he would make me happy. Yoh would be happy. 

_That's what matters._

**Tsuzuku**

_Gomen for the shortness of the chapter. I'm late already for Com Prog. Screw those electric companies!_

   


	22. 22

_The power is going to be cut off again any time so this will just be a short chapter consisting mostly of recaps. ^^;; Brown-outs are occurring more frequently this month, until the 15th of July. Please bear with your author. _

_To the pinoy readers…I'm just curious…sino ang nanonood sa inyo ng Amazing Twins? _

Hao looked on at the faraway panoramic view of the houses, forests, and brooks beyond the cliff of the Izumo forest. When he was young, he had dreamed of owning this piece of heaven, thus he trained hard to learn the extremes of shamanic knowledge as the years went by. He wanted to be a shaman so he could protect this place – this special place where he plans to start a family and live the rest of his lifetime.

As his study of shaman powers grew deeper, he had slowly come to realize how pathetic human beings are, enslaving the world and nature when they do not have true power.

He also realized how cocky humans are, ridiculing things that cannot be perceived by their so-called senses. It was funny how most people refuse to believe in spirits simply because it wasn't part of the doctrine that the fast-paced existence of the people laid down for them. Some make fun of the spirits and souls. Others just turn away, uncaring.

He then came to a conclusion that all humans must perish and give way to the real people who must inhabit this world – the shamans. It would only be then that spirits and living people could peacefully co-exist.

Even when the Great Spirit rejected him, he didn't lose heart. He would rebuild the world someday. He, the rightful shaman king. Before he died in his first lifetime, he promised to return after five hundred years.

And he did, fueled by the overwhelming desire to carry out his plans and destroy anyone who tries to disobey him.

He sat down by the rock, deep in thought. However, his musings about the worthlessness of humans were swayed when he met one girl. Kyouyama Anna, the elusive and cold statue.

The first time he met her was when he was watching Yoh train for the oversoul technique. For the first time ever since he started secretly monitoring his brother's battle progress, Yoh's development had begun to become more concrete. He didn't know why and how, but his answer came soon.

By the window, he could see the blonde looking at him – no, _staring_ at him. He was already fascinated when she was able to detect his presence so easily from this location. He didn't know her name until the next day, but her face remained in his mind even after he saluted to her and disappeared in the shadows.

This fascination led him to attempt a more up close and personal interaction with her, just for fun.

One time, he sent his spirits to taunt her in the forest when she was walking alone. Without breaking so much a sweat, she was able to defeat them. He came to realize that she was the itako that he heard was training my brother brutally.

Kyouyama Anna.

He should have known. That deathly calmness. That icy glare. That impeccable mask. That beautiful strength. And right there and then, he decided that she was interesting enough to talk to.

_He smiled. "You are scared of me, sweet one, aren't you?"_

_"Cocky, aren't you?" she asked through her heavy-lidded gaze._

_"Confident," he stressed. "I can hear the frantic beats of your little heart, even at this distance. You are panicking. You do not know who I am, and you don't know whether to believe that I am your fiancé's brother."_

_She was stunned. How could have he read my mind so easily?_

_He laughed. "No, there is nothing wrong with you, Kyouyama Anna. You can hide your thoughts pretty well, and I can't read your mind, no matter how I try. You may have been a perfect robot, except that your heart betrays you. Your heart is speaking volumes."_

_At last, she regained her composure. "You seem to know a lot of things, but you forgot one little thing."_

_His forehead creased in interest. "Oh? And what is that one little thing?"_

Hao smiled. Then he was slapped. No one had ever had the guts to do that to him. Everyone was afraid of him. Everyone feared the extent of his powers, and although he enjoyed the feeling of omni power, deep inside him, he was looking for someone who can challenge him.

He never would expect that his match would be a passive and cold lady like her.

He remembered her words.

No one can ever manipulate Kyouyama Anna.

He knew a challenge when he heard one.

He vowed to himself that the high and mighty itako would fall on his hands. He didn't care whether she was his brother's fiancée; for as far as he was concerned, Anna was already his since the moment she slapped him.

However, she wouldn't make things easy for him, for she was devoted to his brother.

_Anna stood in front of the cave where Yoh came in yesterday. She clenched her fists when she didn't hear any sign of life inside._

_"He won't be back anytime soon," said a voice from somewhere._

_She didn't bother to turn around. "What do you want?"_

_Hao appeared from behind and joined her. "If I tell you that I want you, would you give me what I want?"_

_Her eyes, emotionless like a wall, turned to him. "Do you want me to answer that?"_

_"No, I don't think so," he laughed. "But I can give you what you want. A good life, isn't it?"_

_"Yes, and I want to be the mistress of an onsen hotel." She crossed her arms in front of her chest._

_"I can give you all of those," he said, smiling._

_"I know you can," she said. "But I don't care."_

_"And you care for my little brother, is that it?"_

_"I never said anything like that," she said coolly._

_"You don't have to," he said, grinning. "Your heart can say it out loud."_

_"Your colorful interpretations of my heart's supposedly speeches amuse me, but I'm afraid you're mistaken." Her eyes gave nothing away. "Love isn't for someone like me."_

_"Then I guess we're compatible." He knelt and brought her free hand to his lips. "Asakura Hao is my name."_

_Her eyes widened. _

"But she still remained calm," he mused. "Even answering back my teasings." He didn't see any trace of fear in her eyes – they were like a vacuum. He wanted her beautiful strength – God knows how he wanted to take it at that time! He was getting more and more drawn to the indefinable itako.

"Yet there was a time when I saw her vulnerable," he thought. "While she was waiting for Yoh to come out from the cave alone, shivering from the cold."

The sight tugged something in his heart – one thing he thought he had let go of already. As Zinc looked at him quizzically, he placed his coat over her to protect her from the chill. He would have wanted to embrace her, but he was scared to touch her, for she might wake up. He wanted to keep her unaware angelic face in his memory.

Zinc commented that it was rather _unusual_ that he chose to watch her than to listen to his reports about the activities of the X-Laws, not his biggest fans actually, least of all getting all worked up and protective about a human which he detested so. He didn't reply anymore, for deep inside, he himself didn't know why. 

Zinc didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure things out. The priest cautioned him that it was alright to play with people sometimes, but that he mustn't lose track of his plans. He also reminded him that Anna hated him so. However, he had made up his mind – he was going to take Anna. 

Fate seemed to agree with him, for it presented him an opportunity to make it happen. He was able to defeat his brother with consummate ease in one of his visits to the Asakura compound.

_Lightning struck, revealing the twistedly sinister face of Hao looking down at his brother. "Just as I thought. You are not worthy to be the shaman king after all. It is only I who can give justice to the title." He pointed his hand towards Yoh. "Your time is up."_

_He did a double take when he felt something restraining him. He turned to his side and found that Anna had chained the Spirit of Fire with her itako beads._

_"If you have the patience, you can wait for Yoh to improve more," she said, voice blank._

_"He was already blessed by the Best Place, and yet, he was defeated so easily." Hao laughed softly. "What do you want me to do then?"_

_"Wait until he finishes his training," she said._

_"No matter how hard he trains, he would never match up against me…unless…" His eyes twinkled. "Oh, I know."_

_Anna looked at him expectantly._

_"I have a proposal." _

He had to admit – he was a little worried whether Anna would buy his proposal. If Anna would do so, then that would mean she cared more about her fiancé than her damn pride. He didn't know why, but it made his heart ache peculiarly. Suddenly he found himself hoping that Anna wouldn't come at all.

But she did. Her presence became like a double-edged sword. He was delighted to have her near, but at the same time, he couldn't erase from his mind that the only reason Anna was with him was because of Yoh.

Kyouyama Anna though, was like wine. Too much of her can only drive him to weakness, but still, he couldn't resist her sweetness. And according to Zinc, there were two things a man cannot hide – that he is drunk, and that he is in love.

He was both.

Anna was already endeared to him even if the time they spent together was nothing compared to that of hers and Yoh's, and that all he got from her was unresponsive coldness.

He didn't care; he just didn't want to lose her. He had already given way too much to her – not only the Notes on Shamanic Powers. He had already handed over to her his heart and soul. He had never did that to anyone before – trust with all his life.

Too bad she wasn't aware of that, and he seriously doubted if she would ever will.

He had never learned to trust, but she taught him so.

He had never known how warm a fellow person's yolk is, but she allowed him to stay in her arms.

He had never experienced what it was like to be concerned about someone other than himself, but she brought out the protective instinct within him.

Just when he thought he knew everything about life, loss, and existence, she came along and gave rise to a new question he couldn't bring himself to answer, at least out loud.

Had he finally fallen in love?

Anna gathered the hem of the pink wedding dress as Opacho tucked a flower behind her ear.

She looked at her reflection in the nearby river, and she had to smile. She would be a hypocrite if she didn't admit that she looked lovelier than before. Her hair partly tied in a ponytail, but with a few strands at either side of her cheeks, was played on by the breeze.

That was how Hao saw her when he arrived. He beamed. "You look so ethereal, my Kyouyama Anna, do you know that?"

She looked down, not commenting, but she was blushing faintly.

He noticed that. He was instantly delighted. "Come. We'll seal the vow in a nearby shrine." He took her by hand and acquainted her to the Spirit of Fire, which took them to the mountains.

Zinc watched, smirking, as Yoh hurried to the mountains, his aura of anger emitting from him.

"It's starting…the fun is about to begin." He could already imagine how wrath was eating the shaman's heart. He was sure that it would prompt the Great Spirit to rethink its decision of who would be the shaman king.

Yoh couldn't think straight. All he had in mind was Anna. As he trudged on the rocky part of the forest, he repeatedly berated himself for falling asleep. Had he remained awake last night, he could have stopped Anna.

No, if he had only become stronger, Anna wouldn't have to exchange herself for the Notes.

If he only trained harder, he would have defeated Hao at once.

If only…if only…

He clenched his fists, forcing himself to calm down. He had to locate Anna in the vast forest, and for him to accurately do that, he had to be calm.

"Yoh Asakura!"

Yoh froze and looked up. A priest was standing by the treetop, looking at him, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Follow me. I will lead you to Kyouyama Anna." With that, the priest, started to jump between the branches of the tree, heading for the mountains.

Yoh didn't have to think twice. He followed the priest who was secretly smirking.

Lyserg and Jeanne finally arrived in the shrine – a temple brought down to ruins.

"The Gates of Babylon?" The dowser didn't hide his surprise. How could the wreckage defeat someone like Hao?

"Great power is coming from this place," she explained. She raised her arms towards it, and the wreckage suddenly glowed. "I suspect that Hao would make his appearance here soon. I have to hurry."

Lyserg nodded and stood beside her, lending his power to the ruins.

Horo blinked. "I thought I saw Master Yoh go there!" He pointed towards the mountains.

"Then we better hurry," said Amidamaru.

Suddenly, Horo's oracle bell rang. He answered it hastily as he ran along with his friends.

Great Spirit is moving abnormally. Do something before anger consumes Master Yoh. –Tamao

Horo punched in the keys furiously.

We're trying to catch up to him. What do you mean the Great Spirit is moving 'abnormally'?

The reply came quickly.

The Great Spirit shall consume the body of the shaman king it rejects. That is how Asakura Hao died five hundred years ago. If Master Yoh's heart becomes unchaste, the Great Spirit might reject him, and he might suffer the same fate as Hao's!

Horo texted back. Alright, we'll move double time. Please make sure that Pirika arrives home safely. She's on her way there.

He got another reply. Take care, Horo Horo. I'll wait for you.

Longing washed all over him. My bath better be ready when I come home, he typed. I love you. No, you don't have to answer this. I just want you to know that. I might never be able to say it again…just in case…

He didn't expect her to reply anymore, but she did. He felt his chest constrict when he read her message. If you still care enough on what I have to say about that, come back soon, you blue-haired moron! I don't want to have a dead guy for a boyfriend, you know. 

Kororo smiled at him, and he grinned, wiping a tear that spilled on his cheek in embarrassment. 

"I am _so_ coming back," he vowed, grinning as he caught up with the others.

Hao and Anna finally arrived in front of the shrine he was talking about. He helped her down then led her into the temple. "We better start the ceremony-" he began to say when Anna froze. He followed her gaze.

Yoh was standing in front of the altar, his back turned on them. However, he had sensed them quickly. He turned to them, grim faced.

"I've come to take Anna back," explained Yoh in a low voice.

**tsuzuku**


	23. 23

Guess what? I just downloaded a video clip from Ep. 62, and I realized how OOC Hao is in my story. He's too tame! . Stupid, stupid me! While I watched him beat the crap out of Yoh (and later take his soul), I couldn't help but cringe. My characterization is so wrong! Ah…*Syao sighs* 

_Nwei, on to the chapter…_

Yoh faced his brother squarely. "I've come to take my fiancée back home."

Hao shrugged. "Your fiancée shall be my wife soon."

"Over my dead body," said Yoh seriously.

"For Anna's sake, I will give you the chance to leave this place unharmed," said Hao. "Go."

Yoh's grip on his katana tightened. "I won't leave without her."

"Don't be stubborn now, little brother," cajoled his brother. "You know that what you want won't happen. She had already traded her freedom for your Notes."

"I said, I won't leave without her." He walked towards Anna, who was speechlessly standing beside Hao, not moving. "Anna?" he prompted.

Anna snapped out of her trance. She still couldn't believe that Yoh followed her here. "Yoh?"

She gasped when Hao's arms found their way to her shoulders possessively. 

"She's no longer yours, little brother," said Hao, his smile still pasted in his face, but his voice lowering dangerously.

"Don't touch her!" he yelled.

Silence.

"You're wasting your time, Yoh," continued the reincarnation. "I've been kind enough to let you live. I am handing over my ambition to be the shaman king to you. What else do you want?"

"Anna. I want her back," he repeated firmly.

Hao sighed. "I guess we have a situation here." He snapped his finger, and the Spirit of Fire came up. "I don't want to use brute force anymore, but since you insist…"

"Yoh, what are you doing?" cried Anna. "Amidamaru isn't with you. How can-"

He grinned. "The shikigamis." He summoned the two creatures as Hao watched, amused. 

"You're going to recycle them?" asked Hao. 

"This would have to do for the meantime," said Yoh.

"Oh, alright. I have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed. I thought we're going to have a real match…but it's been a while since I last played with my shikigamis." Hao raised his finger towards Yoh. "You better not bore me."

"You can count on that."

Hao's mecha began to attack, but Yoh jumped out of the way seconds before its claw tore the space he was standing at awhile ago. He then ordered Kouki to zoom towards the mecha.

"What are you doing?" asked Hao, grinning. "Only one?" He effortlessly slapped the shikigami away. "Really now, Yoh. You're making your defeat too easy."

Yoh smirked and suddenly moved his arm downward. Hao frowned, then suddenly sensed a force from behind. Seconds before Zenki was able to touch him, his mecha was able to defend.

_He was able to order my shikigami without me sensing it?_ Hao looked on at Yoh. _He certainly has come a long way._

"You used your furyoku to conceal the aura of your attacking shikigami," he said, looking at his little brother. "Aren't you worried that you might use up all of them even before you make your third attack?"

"I'm not worried," said Yoh calmly. "I have a lot of furyoku."

Hao was starting to dislike his brother's demeanor. He was too calm. He followed his determined gaze and found Anna standing behind, watching them. He turned to Yoh again. "So do I." He went back into his fighting stance. "Let's see if you can do that again to me, Yoh-"

A blow nearly sent him falling down. Kouki had sneaked up behind him again!

He wiped the blood at the corner of his mouth. He didn't like what was happening. Why couldn't he sense what Yoh was about to do? Why couldn't he anticipate?

Zinc watched, eyes burning. Just as he thought. Kyouyama Anna had weakened their leader. Obacho appeared beside him. "What's wrong with Hao-sama?"

"Everything."

Obacho shrugged. "It's not just him. Yoh has grown stronger too."

"To the point that he can do this to our master?" hissed the priest. "It's all that girl's fault."

"What do you intend to do about it?" asked Hao's servant.

The priest' fists clenched. "Wait and see."

Hao finally decided he had enough. "No more games!" He gestured to his shikigamis, and they turn on Yoh.

"Depriving your enemy with the last of his weapons when you have so much is dishonorable," said Anna, arms crossed.

_Wrong_, thought Hao. _He still has the most powerful weapon right now. You._

Yoh used the sheath of his sword to block Kouki, then his main sword to protect himself from Zenki. He then pushed Zenki towards Kouki and jumped away as the two knocked on each other and fell to the ground.

"What will you do now that you have no more weapon?" Hao summoned the Spirit of Fire and it became a sword. He started towards Yoh slowly, deliberately.

Anna realized what he was going to do. "Hao!" she screamed before she could stop herself.

He turned to her. "I'm sorry. I'm not intending to kill him, but he made me mad." He turned away from her, ignoring her calls.

Yoh, who was sandwiched between the shikigamis, could only wince as his brother stepped towards him.

Suddenly, Anna ran towards the two, tearing the lower part of her wedding gown while running just so she could get to them faster, and took out her itako beads.

"Gouma Choubuku," she chanted, then chained the beads around the shikigamis. Yoh was able to free himself as Hao watched, stunned.

Anna landed on the ground, but Yoh cushioned her fall with his arms. "Anna? Anna?" he cried.

She was panting heavily – yet again, the shikigamis depleted her strength. But he was safe. 

"You meddled," said Hao blankly.

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked. "You're not…playing fair…"

"It's not just that." His eyes saddened. "Very well…I lost." 

Yoh was shocked. He knew that look in his brother's eyes. He sees that look in Horo's eyes too whenever he looks at Tamao.

He knelt down and caressed Anna's face. "Anna…"

A power shot towards them suddenly, piercing Anna directly.

Yoh and Hao's faces were paralyzed.

Zinc was standing on a treetop. "I did as you ordered, Hao-sama. I've finished her."

Yoh's face turned to Hao, who turned pale. "I…I didn't order you anything!" exclaimed Hao, finally finding his voice. He stepped back, confused. "I never…"

"Anna!" Yoh turned to his fiancée. "Anna, Anna?" He tried to exude his furyoku in hope of reviving her, but her hand slowly stopped him.

"S-Save it," she whispered weakly. "I-It won't help."

"A-Anna…" Relief washed all over his face when he heard her speak. "Anna, I-I'll take you home already. H-Hang on. You'll be well."

She shook her head slowly. "T-The fight…is not…yet over. Y-You'll need…all your…furyoku."

"I don't want to fight anymore!" he yelled, burying his face against hers. "I just want you back!"

She tried to move her hand to slap him, but only succeeded on running her hand against his cheek. "Moron…t-to be the shaman king…you must…prove your worth…and…and…I want to be the wife…of a shaman king…" A tear fell down her cheek. "N-Now look what you made me do…I'm…crying…damn you, Yoh Asakura…"

He carried her, standing up. "I'll bring you to my grandmother. She'll cure you and-"

"I love you," she whispered, smiling at him warmly.

He was stunned. He finally found his voice. "I do love you too, Anna. Very, very much-" He stopped when he saw her head drop against his chest lifelessly. 

Hao witnessed it too. His blood stopped cold.

"Anna!!!!!!!!"

Horo Horo and the others were paralyzed when they heard Yoh's cry.

Ren was shocked. "A spirit left…"

Amidamaru's eyes widened. "Ms. Anna!"

"It can't be!" Chocolove dropped down to his knees, weeping.

Ryu was trembling. "Master Yoh!" He was the first one to spring into action, but he was stopped promptly by a group of people dressed in white.

A yellow-haired man stepped in front. "It's too late for you to do anything now. All we can do is watch the Great Spirit consume both omens of the world."

"O-Omens?" echoed Manta. "You can't mean to say…Yoh and Hao? But why Yoh?"

"Hao Asakura's other half," explained a girl, also dressed in white.

"Who are you?" asked Horo angrily. "Get out of the way. Our friend will die there!"

"I'm afraid we can't allow that. This is the only chance we have to defeat Hao swiftly and surely," said the man. "If you will insist to interfere however, the X Laws shall cast the heaven's punishment on you."

Chocolove stood up. "Bring it on then. We will go to the pillar whether you like it or not."

Faust arrived, holding a sword. "I second that."

"Hey, who are you?" asked Horo distrustingly.

"Faust!" cried Manta.

He smiled briefly at the midget, then turned to the pillar. "Yoh needs this." He gestured to the sword he was holding.

"No one will get past us!" yelled the man, and everyone prepared to battle.

"I have no time for this." Faust turned to them. "Where is Yoh's power spirit?"

Amidamaru stepped forward.

"Come with me." Faust then brought out a skeleton from his coat. "My Eliza, please protect us while we set off."

"One step closer and I'll-" The white-clad girl stepped back when the skeleton tried to slash her.

"Kororo, let's go!" Horo summoned his spirit.

Ren raised his spear. "Bason!"

Ryu took out his sword. "Tokageroh!"

Chocolove  nodded. "Mic!"

The Gates of Babylon was finally completed. Jeanne smiled weakly, then collapsed against the arms of Lyserg.

"Jeanne-sama!" cried the dowser.

"Now all I have to do is to make Hao come here," she said. "The gates shall do the rest for us."

Lyserg fell silent. "It's strange…but I can feel that there is something wrong happening with Hao's aura."

"I know," she agreed.

"Take me there then," she said.

Lyserg's eyes widened. "It's too dangerous, Jeanne-sama! Ask me anything but that."

"Facing Hao is inevitable, so why make it wait?" She stood up shakily. "I want to see Hao myself."

Yoh's head hung as he collapsed back into the floor, cradling Anna's lifeless body. He was still sobbing as he kissed her unresponsive lips lovingly, then laid her gently on the ground.

"Hao…this is beyond forgiving anymore…"he hissed.

Hao was also grieving inside, but he knew that none of his words could ever help enlighten Yoh. He chose not to speak anymore.

Above them, the sky was swirling in frighteningly dark whirlpools – a sign that the Great Spirit was about to descend.

Hao knew that.

Everything smelled of death.

Everything felt of death.

He thought he was going to forget these once he marries Anna, but fate was cruel.

His nightmare was going to begin again.

Kino put her cup of tea down, then looked at Yohmei. 

"The Great Spirit," said Yohmei, sighing. "Who will it take now?"

Zinc watched in bliss as Hao readied his Spirit of Fire again. His Hao-sama was back on track.

"You do know that the Great Spirit would interfere," said Obacho slowly.

"Hao-sama is mightier than the Great Spirit," said the priest proudly.

Obacho said nothing, but the servant seriously doubted if Hao-sama would ever be the same again. 

Faust was able to get pass the X Laws, followed by Amidamaru.

"You can't get away-" Marco was about to follow them when Ren stepped in front of him, smirking.

"You should defeat me first," said the Chinese boy before attacking. The X Lawman had no choice but to defend himself, and in the process, let the two get away.

"We have to reach Master Yoh in time!" said Amidamaru as he and the doctor stepped into the pillar.

They then entered the field, and to the spirit's relief, Yoh was still standing. His eyes then went to the body on the ground.

"Ms. Anna!" cried the spirit.

Faust headed towards them. "Yoh, your weapon." He threw the boy the katana.

Yoh caught the weapon even without turning to the doctor. The latter hurried to Anna's side, hoping to revive her. Amidamaru went to his master's side.

"Yoh-dono?"

"I will kill him," promised Yoh.

It was only then that the spirit noticed the strange look in his master's eyes. It wasn't Yoh's eyes – it was the eyes of a killer.

"Let's do it, Amidamaru."

"Yoh-dono…"

"Amidamaru!!!"

Lightning tore the sky apart, signaling the beginning of the _real_ match.

**tsuzuku**                                                                                                                                


	24. 24

Sorry for the delayed update. I had to revise something in the story to grant the request of two readers regarding Hao and Anna. This may turn out sappy, mushy, OOC…need I say more? Anyway, Cole, Jess-chan, you'll get your fill next chapter.  
Sorry about the spoiler thing in the last chapter, Sweet Anime Fan. ^^:: I just assumed that you already know the ending of the series. Sowee!^^;;

"When will this end?" wondered Hao wearily.

Yoh attacked him repeatedly with the double swords that he fused with Amidamaru. Hao knew that he had already awakened the sleeping dragon within his brother and that there was no sign of him stopping anymore.

On the other hand, he had already lost the desire to fight him anymore, or anyone else for that matter. Why else should he fight, when it would all be for vain? Anna is gone. Whether he defeats Yoh or not would be immaterial to bringing her back.

He then realized that he wasn't the omni power he always believed him to be. Just when it matters most, he was helpless.

Yoh kept on attacking, his moves getting stronger. "Why her?" he yelled, eyes blind with rage. "I will kill you!!!"

"Listen to me-"

"No, _you_ listen to me!" he yelled. "Anna is very dear to me!" Yoh slammed his katana on his brother.

Hao blocked his attack just in time. "Anna is just as dear to me! You're not the only one grieving around here! I lost a part of my life too when she passed away!" He kicked Yoh away. "You are lucky, because before she died, she told you that she loves you! As for me…"

Yoh was silenced, and he suddenly remembered Hao's eyes that reminded him of Horo's. He suddenly felt doubt, whether Hao was saying the truth or not. 

"You know very well that I can just leave you alone here and make the Great Spirit swallow you up, but guess what, I won't," hissed his brother. "However, if you won't calm down, even I cannot help you anymore."

"Zinc…he is your servant?" He had not let go of his weapon, but he had slowed down. 

"Yes," said Hao.

"But then-" The rest of Yoh's words were interrupted by the descent of the Great Spirit, its thick fog settling all over the pillar.

"What's happening there?" asked Horo when he saw the teeming smoke from the pillar.

Marco smirked. "The Great Spirit has come to deliver justice."

"I doubt if his justice is similar to what you are spouting out," said Shilva sarcastically.

The X Lawman was just about to attack him when he sensed Jeanne's presence. He turned to their leader. "Jeanne-sama…?"

Lyserg was assisting Jeanne in walking. She looked weak, but her eyes were still full of gentle but firm authority.

"Enough, Marco," she said.

The rest of the X Laws obeyed her.

She turned to the pillar. "There are still people in there aside from the twins, am I right?" she asked.

Ryu nodded vehemently. "Dr. Faust and Ms. Anna are in there!"

"Anna?" asked Lyserg, turning to the pillar. "What happened? Why is she with Hao-"

"Long story," cut Ren. "And we don't have time for storytelling right now."

"I will wait for ten more minutes," decided Jeanne. "If the two still doesn't come out by that time, I will use the Gates of Babylon to seal the two inside."

"You can't do that to Yoh!" yelled Horo. 

"I'm sorry," said the nun softly. "What must be done should be done. Yoh Asakura is related to Hao the Destroyer. If we don't kill them now, one of them is bound to start an apocalypse." She turned to the pillar. "You see, even if it is Hao only that we seal, he can always take over Yoh's body. I doubt if anyone can be able to stop him when that happens."

Lyserg looked worried. "But you spent most of your powers on reviving the Gates!"

Marco looked concerned too. "Jeanne-sama…"

She smilingly shook her head. "What must be done, should be done," she repeated.

Faust, coughing, finally falls down on his knees. He looked at Anna, then smiled fondly. She really reminds him of Eliza – the soft, blond hair, the creamy skin. And now, the peaceful serenity in her face when she died.

He smiled bitterly. The Great Spirit was playing with his darkest fears. He turned to the others. Zinc dropped dead on the ground. It seemed that the Great Spirit was starting to deliver the verdict of evil and good already. His eyes turned to Yoh and Hao, who were still standing. They were emitting some force he couldn't decipher as the fog enveloped them.

He silently wondered how the two were doing with the Great Spirit's tests.

Yoh felt like his chest was about to explode. He turned to Hao, who was sitting on the ground calmly. Why wasn't he feeling the pain?

Hao spoke up. "I've gone through this already in my past lifetime."

He was silenced. "Are we going to die already?" he asked finally.

"It will all be up to the Great Spirit," shrugged his brother.

Just then, Yoh's vision waned.

I'm dying.

"Yoh!!!"

His eyes flapped open, and a slipper hit his face. He rubbed his face. "Wha-"

Anna was looking at him with her narrowed eyes, arms crossed. "Where is my breakfast? And why aren't you dressed yet? You're going to be late for school!"

He looked around. _Where am I?_

"Don't just stand there!" she bellowed. "MOVE!!!"

"Hai, hai!" He struggled to get up, all the while in daze. _Anna's alive?_

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked in irritation.

"T-The match with Hao…"he said slowly. "What happened to Hao?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Who's Hao?"

"Huh? Hao…you know, the guy who looks like me?" he said.

"Oh…that Hao?" She glanced at his reflection in the mirror.

He sighed. "No, no, I'm not talking about my reflection!"

"I know all your friends," she said. "The exchange student from China…the snobby one. Ren Tao? And the weird tribe boy…Horo Horo? What's his surname? Oh, and the security guard of your school, Ryu of the Wooden Sword." She ticked off in her fingers his friends. "The class genius, Manta Oyamada. The campus catch in your classroom Lyserg Diethyl. The comedian, Chocolove. I remember that you even befriended your homeroom adviser…Amidamaru-sensei."

"Eh?" Yoh could only look at her, jaw dropped.

"The school clinic doctor and nurse…Faust-sensei and Nurse Eliza. Novice nun Sister Jeanne…" She sighed. "What are you doing? You're stalling time! Prepare my breakfast already!"

He nodded, then noticed something. "Anna, where are your beads?"

"What beads?" she asked, groaning. "I'm hungry-"

"You never take your itako beads off," he said, frowning.

"What would I do with itako beads?" she asked, frowning too. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"B-But you're an itako…."

"Since when?" she asked.

"Since…" He was at loss for words. "D-Don't you remember? You're an itako engaged to me because you want to be the wife of a shaman king."

"Shaman king?" she echoed. "Yoh Asakura, three things: one, I'm not an itako. I am your childhood friend sent by your grandmother to check on you. Two, I am not engaged to you. Three, you are not a shaman king, because shamans were extinct long ago."

Yoh's eyes widened.

Yoh was walking to school when he was splattered with water from a luxury car. Out came Ren, looking annoyed. "Why are you walking here as if you own the road?"

Anna eyed him lethally. "How dare you talk to Yoh that way!"

Ren glared at her. "I don't remember talking to you."

Yoh smiled. "Ren, I'm so glad we ran into you! Anna is pulling my leg! She said that shamans are extinct already and well…show her your super golden…" His words trailed off when he received odd looks from them. "What?" he asked helplessly.

'Is your boyfriend alright?" asked Ren, rolling his eyes.

"Excuse me, he is _not_ my boyfriend," she interjected.

"But…but…don't you remember?" he asked, wanting to shake Ren's shoulders. "My clan is your archenemy!"

"What does my clan care about you?" the Chinese asked. "My father is living peacefully in China, while my sister treats you normally, although for the life of me, I don't understand why she does."

'But…but…" he sputtered.

"We'll be late," said Ren. He then glanced at them. "Want a ride?" he asked grudgingly.

Anna sighed. "We're not going to pay fare, just for you to know."

"Yeah, yeah." Ren rode into his limousine again as he and Anna followed.

In the classroom, they were met by thunderous laughter caused by the tandem of Horo and Chocolove.

"Hey, let me tell you guys about a doctor and a patient." Horo raised a finger. "One day, a man came to a doctor, saying. 'Sensei, sensei, please help my friend! He thinks he's a dog!' The doctor frowned thoughtfully. 'Since when had this problem started?' The man replied, 'Ever since he was a puppy, sensei!'"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Tamao hit Horo. "Sit down already! I'm listing the students who are noisy!"

Horo grinned. "As my beloved class president says!"

Teasing hums filled the room as Tamao blushed profusely. She was on the verge of crying.

Yoh was puzzle. He turned to his seatmate, Lyserg. "Why would our classmates choose a president who easily cries?"

Lyserg smiled, behind him were swooning fangirls. "Because they can do whatever they want, and she can't do anything about it."

"Oh."

Just then, a tall, silver haired man came into the room. "Class, quiet!'

"Amidamaru!" cried Yoh happily, running towards the man dressed in navy blue business suit.

"Ah…Mr. Asakura?" The man sweatdropped.

Ren pummeled Yoh. "That's our Homeroom adviser, you idiot."

Yoh's eyes grew large. He turned to Amidamaru. "I-It can't be! Amidamaru, tell them they're mistaken." He reached for his oracle bell and harusame and showed them to the stunned teacher.

"Why are you bringing deadly weapons in school? And what is that pager thing?" asked Amidamaru amidst the laughter.

"Um, excuse me," said a voice softly.

All the boys in the class turned to the voice, led by Horo. Ren's eyes widened. "Nee-san!"

Jun Tao, wearing a sexy mandarin-collared teacher outfit came into the classroom. All the boys, even Amidamaru-sensei, were looking at her sexy pair of legs that seem to run forever. 

Boys were about to go to her, led by Amidamaru, when a grim bodyguard appeared beside him. Ren slammed his hand on his forehead. Just what he needs. His sister was doing her practice teaching in their school, and her bodyguard, Li Pailong, tagged along.

Yoh seized the chance to leave the classroom. He left the school, and was greeted while he left by the security guard, Ryu. He couldn't understand what was happening.

_Was everything a dream? Just a dream?_

He reached for his necklace just as he heard a familiar voice.

"Wake up, Yoh. Is this the world that you want? It's not real."

He froze, and saw Hao standing at the corner.

"The Great Spirit is testing just how you want to envision a world you will rule."  His twin looked at him testily. "Is this how you want your world to be?'

Yoh clenched his fists. "It's unreal. I want it, but it's wrong."

Hao nodded. "Therefore, what do you want to do?"

"I'm coming back." There was determination in his eyes.

Hao nodded again, just as he was engulfed in white light.

Hao smiled when he saw his brother come back and break the fog suffocating him. He remembered that the Great Spirit finished him when he agreed to stay in the dream world that it created for him. He cannot allow his brother to commit the same mistake.

"You are acting strange," said Shilva, who was able to penetrate the fog, along with the eight other priests. They looked at the fallen Zinc.

The Asakura smiled. "Five hundred years can do a lot to you…not to mention five days in the woods with a very special girl."

Yoh opened his eyes and realized that he was back in the pillar again. Hao was kneeling beside him.

Shilva spoke up. " Yoh has survived the test, therefore, the Great Spirit says Yoh Asakura is a worthy shaman king. It is already official. You are now the shaman king."

"It's done?" asked Yoh weakly. 

Hao nodded.

"But if not for you…'

His twin brother smiled. "Think nothing of it."

Yoh realized that there was still a human side within the destroyer. He held out his hand to him, and Hao looked at him in surprise.

"Thanks…Nii-san." Yoh grinned.

Hao accepted it, and helped him up. Just then, Horo and the rest of the people poured into the pillar.

"Master Yoh!!!" Horo ran towards Yoh, followed by the tearful Manta and Ryu. Ren looked on, smiling.

"What's up with you and Hao?" asked Horo, frowning at the Asakura.

Yoh smiled. "Long story."

"Ms. Anna!" wailed Chocolove, kneeling beside her.

Yoh's face turned pale. He hurried towards Faust. "Anna…is she…is she…"

"I'm not…dead, Yoh. D-Don' be so excited." Anna opened her eyes weakly.

"A-Anna!!!" Emotions filled him all at once – joy, disbelief, relief, and love. Lots of love. "Anna!!!" 

"Hao saved her," explained Faust.

Yoh was stunned. He turned to his brother, but he was there no more.

Horo laughed, knocking Yoh's shoulders. "So you still have to go train, after all!"

Yoh grinned. He had a lot to thank his brother for. 

"Yoh…"

He turned to Anna. "Hmm?"

"Before I blacked out…"she said quietly, not meeting her eyes. "Were those words true?"

He grinned. "Why don't I prove that?" He bent down and kissed her lovingly, amidst the gasps of everyone.

"Anna will kill him!" cried Manta.

"No, Anna will kill him if he pulls away," said Horo knowingly, winking.

Hao smiled at the scene. He had transferred most of his life force to Anna awhile ago just to revive her.

"Why did you do that?" asked a voice softly. 

He smiled at Jeanne, who was being assisted by Marco and Lyserg. "Because I love her…and my brother."

They didn't expect the answer.

He turned to Lyserg. "If you want to kill me, I will be waiting in the Izumo forest. But don't make me wait too long…I won't last long."

Lyserg was stunned. "I've…forgiven you, Hao," he said, looking down. "After what I saw in the pillar…"

"Thank you," he said. "I can't bring your parents back into life…"

"But they will be happy with what you did," said the dowser. "My parents are the most compassionate people I know."

"You have their genes," said Hao simply before he disappeared into the forest.

The dowser smiled sadly. He knew that it would be their last meeting ever.

"The match is over," said Kino as the skies cleared up.

Yohmei nodded. "I told you, if anyone can do it, Yoh can."

To be concluded 


	25. 25

Wahahahaha!!! Finally, the finale! Thank you so much for reading up to this point. Domo arigato! For the Hao/Anna fans, I'm thinking of making a oneshot sequel for this. Annoy me through email if you want that. 

"Wow!" Yoh's eyes widened when he saw Ren's move. He looked on as the boy took his bishop and two of his pawns in one move. 

Manta, who was watching the game with Horo Horo, sighed. "Yoh-kun, I told you not to move your pawn." 

Yoh grinned. "Well, at least I know now what I should do next time it happens." 

"At least," smirked Ren, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

Horo rubbed his jaw, then moved Yoh's queen diagonally, then forward. Ren's jaw dropped. 

"What the-" The Tao could not speak. His queen was held captive! 

"Checkmate!" called Horo, raising both of his fists in victory. 

"Checkmate?!" The Chinese was incredulous. "How could that have happened? I looked at every angle of the board and I know-" His eyes narrowed at the Ainu boy. "You cheated! My bishop wasn't there! It's over here!" He pointed one step back from where his bishop used to be. 

"I didn't touch anything!" said Horo indignantly. "You just have a bad case of myopia so you thought that this won't happen." 

Manta and Yoh could only sigh as Horo and Ren started yet another of their seemingly endless bickering once again. 

"If I am myopic, what do you call your vision?" asked Ren in a huff. 

"Why you hair failure-" 

"Stop noticing my hair! Why don't you notice yours?" 

"Mine doesn't have a long, pointed end," remarked Horo, smirking. "Be careful when you walk, Ren Tao the Carabao. When you stumble forward, you might stab the person before you." 

Yoh stepped between Ren – who looked like he picked up the just mentioned idea and was going to practice it on him – and Horo, just as Manta rubbed his head. "You guys, stop talking about hair as if you are hair specialists." 

"Hmp. At least mine doesn't look like a wig." He gestured to Horo's hair that was let down. The Ainu boy just finished his bath. 

Tamao came into the room, holding a tray of snacks. "Personally, I don't find anything objectionable about Horo Horo's hair." She smiled at the blue-haired boy. "I think it's boyishly cute." 

Manta cleared his throat teasingly as Horo raked his hand across his hair self-consciously. Ren sighed as he looked at the chessboard again, wondering how to slam the board on Horo's head gracefully and artistically while achieving maximum pain effect at the same time. 

Horo moved over to the right, giving Tamao a space beside him. She sat down, sighing. "I still can't believe that everything is over. You guys are home, Master Yoh is the shaman king already, Ms. Anna is back…" She clasped her hands together. "Everything is back to normal." 

Horo grinned. "Anna is going back to normal soon. She'll be back to snap at you and give you brutal trainings, Master Yoh." 

"I survived the Best Place, Hao and the Great Spirit. I'll survive her trainings," said Yoh, relaxing against the pillar of the house. 

Ren looked away from the chessboard, deciding that the death of the king, queen, bishops, rooks, horses, and pawns wouldn't be given justice if they would die in the freaking spiky hair of Horo Horo. "Your relationship with Anna reminds me of a chess game." 

"Why?" asked Yoh curiously. 

"You may be the king, but the most powerful figure in the game remains to be the queen," smirked the Tao. 

Horo smirked back. "For once, you're right." He slapped the boy's shoulder and immediately received a glare. 

"I think it's sweet," said Tamao, defending Yoh. "Not many guys would respect women that way." 

"In layman's terms, he would be a henpecked husband," said Horo. 

"And you?" asked Manta challengingly. 

Horo paused, then looked at Tamao who was eyeing him testily. He grinned. "Yoh and I…W-We'll both be nice husbands." 

"That's a safe answer," said Amidamaru, appearing in the room. 

Yoh nodded. "I wonder what happened to the others." 

It had been almost a week since that fateful battle in the pillar. Since then, they all had lost contact with the others. 

Ren shrugged. "It's not really that important, so there's no sense on thinking about it." 

Amidamaru rubbed his cheek. "But I am curious…I wonder what happened to the X Laws…" 

"To Sister Jeanne, " put Manta in. 

"To Lyserg," said Horo. "I still haven't forgiven him for nearly killing me with that explosion-" 

"Don't forget Chocolove," said Ren, scowling. 

"And Shilva," said Horo Horo. 

"And Dr. Faust," said Tamao, making Manta shiver in fear. 

"Please don't mention his name…it's creepy." 

"I thought you're less scared of him now," said the girl. 

"That's right, but I never said I am _totally_ not scared of him." 

Yoh looked up at the sky, a lazy smile on his face. "Yes, I wonder…" 

Lyserg hurried into the church and pushed the heavy double doors open. "Jeanne-sama?" 

Marco looked at him disapprovingly. He instantly turned silent. 

Jeanne then arrived, smiling. "I'm glad everyone's here. I have come to announce that the duty of the X Laws is over. Hao Asakura the Destroyer is no more." 

"Hao is still alive!" protested Marco. 

"I never said that he's dead. The Destroyer is dead, not Asakura Hao," she said. "I am positive that he shall not commit his sins again." 

"Are you sure, Jeanne-sama?" asked Marco doubtfully. 

She nodded. "You are all free now. There is no more need for us." 

Everyone but Lyserg stepped out of the church to discuss Jeanne's decision. The dowser followed her. "Jeanne-sama!" 

The nun paused. "Yes, Lyserg?" 

He inhaled shakily. "Are you really disbanding the group?" 

"Yes. It is not right to bind your lives forever to me. You deserve to seek your own happiness in this world." 

He clenched his fists. "B-But I am happy serving you, Jeanne-sama." 

Her eyes shook. 

"Jeanne-sama, don't make me go away," he pleaded. "I want to be with you. You are my happiness." 

She was silenced. 

"Jeanne-sama, I…" 

She placed her finger on his lips. "Hush. I am a nun in training. I have a vow of chastity." 

"Oh." His face fell. 

"I know what you want to say, and I am really grateful," she said. If things were different, I would say _yes_ to you at once, dakedo, I have obligations." She patted his hand. "You shall still find the right girl for you – someone who is free from commitments. One who will love you more than I can." 

"Jeanne-sama…" He suddenly pulled her to his chest and hugged her, smoothing her nun habit with his hand. 

"I'm going to dedicate my life to one of service and ever ready helping hand. But I shall not forget you, Lyserg Diethyl. Never," she said, tears glistening. 

It was a solemn promise, and the doves in flight outside the stained glass window became the witnesses. 

Lyserg left the chapel with a heavy heart. Jeanne was his first love. He silently wondered how his life would be now that it has lost its two purposes – defeating Hao and protecting the nun. 

"Prince Lyserg!!!" 

He blinked. He knew that voice. "Millie?" 

The girl jumped up to his arms joyfully. "I missed you! I really, really missed you!" 

He smiled at her. "What are you doing here? How did you know I'm here?" 

She beamed. "I looked for you everywhere." 

Lyserg looked at Ellie and the other girls, then back at the little girl. "Thank you for finding me." 

"I missed your stories," she said. "Let's go home." 

He nodded. 

He still had one more purpose- to be Millie's prince. 

"Let's go home," he agreed, taking her by the hand. 

Chocolove waved his arms wildly to the crowd. "Hear ye, hear ye! Here is a story: a man is walking on the road. Two children are playing in the bench. One of them looks at the man and says, 'He is my father, but I am not his son.' What then is their relationship?" 

"Godfather and godson?" asked one from the crowd. 

"Grandfather?" asked another. 

"No! The child is the man's _daughter!_" replied the boy as the audience erupted into thunderous laughter. 

Chocolove smiled to himself. He felt really, really happy. He was starting to gain good audience, some of them traveling from distant cities just to watch him perform! 

_If only Ms. Anna can see me now_, he thought briefly before turning his attention back to his audience. " Thank you, thank you! I love your applause and all, but I also accept cash, credit cards, checks, CODs, and even Paypal payments!" 

Shilva looked up from his crochet work just to sneeze. He rubbed his nose, sighing. "I wonder who's thinking of me." 

"Maybe it's your future girlfriend," kiddedKarimu, looking up from the bead necklace he was stringing together. 

"I wish," said the priest, rolling his eyes. 

"I kind of envy the shaman king," said Karimu. "At age 14, he already has a sure wife. He wouldn't have a problem in courting." 

"True, true," sighed Shilva. "Anyway, we better hurry and rush these to the market. If we don't sell anything today, we won't eat. Crash diet is not my thing." 

"We can always eat in Yoh Asakura's house." 

Shilva's eyes twinkled. "You want to suffer the same fate Zinc did?" 

"You mean that I would die?" 

"No. You would pare potatoes." 

Yoh realized that he had already fallen half asleep. When he woke up, Horo Horo was using an oversoul against Ren as Manta sat with Amidamaru, playing chess. The two players seemed lost to their own black and white checkerboard world. 

He looked up at the sky and frowned when he saw the dark clouds overhead. "Is it going to rain?" 

Tamao, who was sewing, nodded. "The wind feels cold." 

"Anna left long ago to buy prawn crackers. She might not have brought an umbrella." Yoh stood up. "I better meet her outside the compound." He stepped to the left, whistling, just as Ren's spear bulls-eyed the spot where he stood awhile ago. 

"Sorry!" called Horo. 

He nodded and grinned. He stretched, then reached for an umbrella just as a very, very, displeased Pirika marched towards Horo and Ren. 

"You two are fighting _again_?!" yelled Pirika as the two boys froze. 

"P-Pirika!" Ren's face turned flushed. "A-Ah…" 

Horo snickered. "What's the matter, Rennie boy? Where is the Tao courage your father was bragging about?" 

"Take a hike!" 

"Stop it!!!" she screamed. 

Horo snickered some more. "Hey Pirika, you know what? I know a guy who's secretly in love with you." 

Ren's red face turned hotter. "@#$%." 

"H-Hontou?" Her face turned pink. 

Manta sighed as Ren took the chessboard. "Um, Amidamaru and I are not exactly done with the game yet-" 

The board slammed on Horo. 

"Game over," shrugged Amidamaru. "Master Manta, let's just watch hentai tapes instead." 

Everyone's eyes widened. Tamao narrowed her eyes at Horo Horo. 

"It wasn't me!" the boy said quickly. "I didn't teach him anything, honest!" 

The spirit laughed. "Of course not! Master Yohmei was the one who rented the tapes." 

"Count me in!" said Horo as Tamao sighed. He turned to Ren. "Want to come with us?" 

Ren's eyes flickered with interest. "What are hentai tapes?" 

"Um…they're a creative way of teaching anatomy," said Horo. "You should see La Blue Girl…" 

"Blue girl?" Ren's eyes darted towards Pirika. He loves blue-haired girls. "O-Oh, alright." 

"Your life would never be the same again," said Horo, snickering. 

"Horo…"Tamao rolled her eyes. 

"See ya later, Tamao my love!" Horo pulled Ren along with him. Amidamaru and Bason followed excitedly. 

Just then, a head popped into the room. "Hello!" 

Tamao jumped in surprise as Manta freaked out. Faust VIII was standing in the doorway, grinning. "I came here as I promised Anna. I'm going to live here already." He turned to Tamao. "Are you the wonderful cook who gave life to my rib soup?" 

"A-Ah…" She nodded slowly. 

He hugged her tight, freaking Tamao out. "Oh, I'm so happy! I wouldn't have to go back to those canned sardines anymore! Yipee!" 

"W-Why would Anna want you to live here?" asked Manta, squeaking. 

"Because I will be the doctor of the onsen hotel she will build someday!" announced Faust proudly as Tamao and Manta sweatdropped. 

Anna brought out an apple from her grocery bag as she passed by the Izumo forest. She threw it up, and the fruit was instantly caught by a gloved hand. Hao's hand. 

"You still found time to visit me. I'm flattered," he said, eyes crinkling into a delighted smile. 

She smiled at him good-naturedly. "You saved my life." 

Silence. 

"Yeah, I did," he said, biting on the apple. 

"I wasn't able to thank you," she said. 

"It's alright. I'm just glad you're safe." 

"Why…did you do that? Don't you love your life anymore?" she asked, referring to his transferring of most of his life force to her. 

"I do, very much," he said, grinning. _You are my life, Anna. I existed, but I've only begun to live when I met you._

"Then-" Anna stopped talking when a breeze blew her bandanna away. Hao got up and picked it up for her. He walked towards her purposefully. 

Anna suddenly began to become nervous again. Something in his eyes was making her uncomfortable. 

He stopped right in front of her, then secured the bandanna around her neck. She shut her eyes tight when she felt his fingers tickling her nape. 

"Anna?" 

_Why could I feel his breath on my face?_ She opened her eyes and realized how close his face was to hers. "H-Hao?" 

He smiled. "May I kiss my lady goodbye?" 

She felt her cheeks heat up. "Stupid." She slapped his face, but his hand caught her midway as his eyes laughed. He then pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. 

"You better start calling me 'Nii-san' too," he said, crushing her soft body with his arms. 

"Never." 

"Never," agreed Hao, kissing her hair. _Because if you do, you might just make me cry._

"Hey!" said Anna, suddenly looking up towards him. She gasped when his lips slid down to her forehead, tracing its way down to her nose to its tip, their lips just inches away from each other. 

Hao grinned. "Imouto-chan, you better leave before I forget that I should be a prim and proper brother-in-law." 

She frowned, blushing profusely. "E-Excuse me…" she said lamely. 

"Say 'hello' to Yoh for me," he said. 

She nodded. 

As Hao watched her walk away, he sighed deeply. 

"I never…got to tell her how I really feel about her." He laid his back against the tree. "Oh well, at least for once, I did something right." 

Anna was walking home, heart beating fast. What was Asakura Hao trying to insinuate awhile ago? Was he toying with her again? But he sounded sincere… The rain was starting to drop quickly. She hastened her walk, which soon became a jog, until finally a track race as she tried to find a shade. 

_I should have stayed in the forest. There are a lot of trees there. _She then rolled her eyes, remembering she just ran away from Hao. 

"Here." 

Anna blinked and turned around. Yoh was holding out an umbrella to her, grinning uncertainly. 

As they walked under the rain protected only by a single umbrella, they remained silent. Anna could feel Yoh's gaze on her, so she finally looked at him, eyebrow raised. "Yes?" 

He cringed. "A-Ah…" He looked down. 

"What do you want to tell me?" she asked. 

"About Nii-san, actually…" 

She blinked. 

"A-Amidamaru…told me about everything that he saw that transpired between you...and…and…him." He looked away. "I-I mean, it's not my business…but…" 

"But what?" 

"I…want to ask if you…would be, um…_happier_ with him." 

Silence. 

"You're making me go away?" she asked testily. 

His eyes grew large. "Of course not!" 

"Then why are you asking things like that?" 

"B-Because…because…" He looked down. "I want you to be happy, and I do not want you to be forced into a commitment you don't want." 

"So you think I'm forced?" 

"A-Ah!" He panicked at her icy glare. "N-No..ah…" He grinned sheepishly. "I don't know." 

"You don't know?! We're going to get married in four years and you _don't_ know?!!" 

"A-Ah, Anna!" 

She grabbed his collar. "Do you love me or not?" 

"W-With all my heart, I love you," he sputtered. 

"Sure?" 

"Yes!" 

She let him go. "Good." 

"Anna…" 

"Hmm?" 

"I told you before that my dream is to be happy. I want to be happy in my entire lifetime." 

"I remember." She rolled her eyes. "You have such high ambitions, I recall," she said sarcastically. 

He grinned and rubbed his cheek shyly. "I'm happy when you're with me." 

She blinked. 

"Really, really happy." His voice grew huskier as he let go of the umbrella. 

She felt exactly the same as he kissed her lovingly under the pouring rain. 

And that, folks, is the story of Anna and the King. 

END 

Lessons of the Story : 

- Visit the hair parlor regularly so you won't have long, pointed hair at the top of your head. 

-If ever you will make a love potion, label it properly so as not to be mistaken for grape juice. 

-Do not urinate in bushes. You may never know when an assassin or a spy may be sitting there.   


lolz. arigato again! ---syaowee 


End file.
